Faith isn't Part of My Programming
by bigbew
Summary: Sequel to 'I Wouldn't Be Worth Much if I Couldn't Feel' - A new enemy emerges as Judgement Day looms, John and Cameron feel their way in to their new relationship and Sarah learns her new role in John's life.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys and girls,**

**Well, this is the (hopefully) much anticipated sequel to 'I Wouldn't Be Worth Much if I Couldn't Feel'. It picks up right where 'Worth' left off and continues the same story.**

**I'm not done with 'A Mother's Love' yet. I will finish that first before I continue this story, I just had some ideas I had to get down and out before I lost them, so here it is.**

**Also for any newcomers, this story is a direct continuation of my other two stories, 'Something' and 'Worth'. If you haven't read them then this probably won't make much sense.**

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"Good morning John"

The first thing John Connor saw when he opened his eyes was the face of his beautiful girlfriend hovering three inches above his. The sunlight streaming in through the thin curtains of the room silhouetted her features perfectly.

_Wait, why is she hovering three inches above my face first thing in the morning?_

He reached a hand up to try and rub the sleep from his eyes when he discovered the reason for her presence…she was butt naked.

_Oh yeah, right!_

Last night she'd made him a man, and it was damn good. He was pretty sure he wouldn't exactly be classed as a stallion, but he was fairly sure he'd rocked her world judging from the beaming smile on her face as she loomed over him.

_Wait, does ten minutes and then falling asleep count as rocking her world?_

It must have done, because the way she was looking at him now certainly seemed to suggest she enjoyed it. He craned his stiff neck upwards and planted a soft good morning kiss on her lips before settling back down and plastering a goofy grin on his face.

"Good morning Cameron"

The corners of Cameron's lips quirked upwards in to her usual small smile and she settled her head on John's chest. Planting a feather light kiss, she brought her left hand up and rested it on his chest.

"Did you enjoy yourself last night John?"

John's grin grew even wider as he recalled the events of last night. Things started off slowly and awkwardly until they managed to find a rhythm, and John vaguely remembered not lasting much longer after that. The overriding thing he did know about last night was the overwhelming sense of happiness he felt at knowing that his first time was with Cameron.

"Cameron, it was amazing. You were amazing"

She smiled shyly and snuggled further in to his chest.

"Thank you"

As John trailed his slightly numb hand higher up her body and tangled it in her hair, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

_Did she enjoy it?_

He wasn't ashamed to admit that at the time he was far too busy enjoying himself to take note of every single reaction she had. But now that he had time to really think about it, he was rather concerned that he hadn't exactly been the legend in the sack he imagined he would be.

"John, what's wrong?"

She noticed he'd stopped his idle playing with her hair, which she had to admit, she found oddly comforting. Also his heart rate had quickened and the moisture levels increased under her fingertips, he was nervous about something. She placed her palm flat on his chest and sat up to look at him with a worried expression while she waited patiently for an answer.

"I just uh…"

"What is it?"

Evidently she wasn't as patient as she appeared on the outside, especially when it pertained to her first time having sex with her boyfriend.

"I…"

"Is it me? Did I do something wrong" she cut him off again, this time with a genuine edge to her voice.

"No, I told you, you were amazing" he did his best to pull her back down to lay on his chest. She finally relented and allowed him to guide her back down where he resumed his soothing tangling of his fingers in her hair.

"It's just that…well…" John struggled to come up with the correct words for what he needed to say without either upsetting her or sounding like a complete tool "…Cameron…did you enjoy it?"

When Cameron tilted her head up to look at his face, she found nothing but sincere concern and apprehension. He truly was worried about what she took from the experience, and knew she had to tread very carefully to avoid upsetting him. Evidently her short delay was more than enough for John to have reached a less than satisfactory conclusion.

"You didn't did you?"

He once again stopped the movement of his fingers in her hair and grew tense.

"John, I…"

This time he cut her off however when he tried to sit up in the bed and disentangle himself from her.

"I did something wrong, I know I did, you know it was my first time right, of course you do, look, I know I didn't last too long, I'll…"

Cameron effectively silenced him by pressing her lips to the back of his neck directly between his shoulder blades. She felt she had to do something to shut him up, he was on the verge of hyperventilating unless he calmed down. He felt her warm, soft lips and stopped his verbal diarrhoea almost immediately and sat there to enjoy it for a moment.

"John, calm down" she murmured against his back.

Effortlessly and gracefully, she sat up and straddled his lap, the thin sheets slipping from her nude body. She took very careful notice of how his eyes immediately focused on her breasts rather than her eyes. Not that she could blame him for that, after all, she also found herself drawn to particular parts of the male body. Cupping his face in her hands, she placed a tender kiss on his lips which he returned with equal softness and care. She pulled back and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"John, I know last night was your first time, it was mine too…" she paused for a moment to let that information sink in "…I did enjoy the experience, but…I found the sensations to be…"

She looked at his crestfallen expression and seriously considered if she should tell him what she was planning on telling him. It had to be done, he'd asked, and there was no point in turning back now.

"John, I found the sensations to be interesting, perhaps even pleasing with certain actions.

She left it at that and allowed him to come to his own conclusion as she sat back and watched so many expressions cross his face. She feared the worst when his handsome face settled in to a frown. She was pleasantly surprised however when rather than focusing on the negative aspects of what she'd just told him, he picked out something entirely different.

"So, you did find certain things…pleasurable?"

She enthusiastically nodded, she had found certain movements and stimulations to be fascinating and worthy of repeating and further exploration.

"The experience wasn't unpleasant, and…I'd like to do that again"

"Me too. But I want you to enjoy it as much as I do. Could you tell me what you did like?" he asked with a sense of real interest and desire.

"I'm not really sure"

His face twisted in to a confused frown once again.

_Is this much brainpower usually required the morning after sex?_

"What do you mean, 'not really sure'?"

"I know what my body is capable of in general movements and in combat. But I've never experienced some of the feelings I did last night. I don't know what I like"

John took a moment to consider her words. So what if she didn't exactly have a screaming orgasm? At least she found certain things to be enjoyable. The only things she usually found enjoyable involved either chocolate or guns, neither of which have any place in the bedroom…although.

John forcefully pushed down any thoughts of naked Cameron and chocolate and focused on what was going on in the here and now, plenty of time for that when you learn to get her off properly. Now he was determined.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to work on finding out what you like…" he leaned forward and planted a kiss in between her breasts "…and then do lots and lots of it"

He grinned and once again leaned in, this time allowing his lips to roam a little to the left and he flicked out a teasing tongue here and there. He felt her shiver and took that as a good sign.

She meanwhile had been replaying and considering their entire exchange. Not only had John taken the news better than she'd thought an adolescent male would, but he'd said he'd take the time out to find out what she enjoyed and to help her enjoy sex as much as he did. Based on what he was doing with his tongue at the minute that didn't seem like a bad idea, and she felt it was about time she reciprocated. Wiggling her hips, she gave his hair a gentle but insistent tug and pulled his head back to look at her.

"Thank you John…" she leaned down and passionately kissed him, sliding her tongue between his lips and caressing his own eager muscle.

She felt him bump in to her beneath the sheets as he quickly responded to her touch.

"…Would you like to get started exploring before breakfast?" she asked sweetly.

John merely shook his head and forcefully pushed her back on to the bed and crawled on top of her.

"Shut up Cameron"

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

Derek wasn't sure what annoyed him more, that the question had been asked about twenty times already, or the fact that the person asking it had paid no attention to the last nineteen responses. He looked in the rearview mirror at the increasingly annoying and very creepy thing that called itself Amy, safely strapped in to her 'booster seat' on the back seat of his truck. The fact that she was ignoring him wasn't really his complaint, it was that for the last three hours, the duration she'd been asking the question, that she hadn't even looked out of the window once. No, instead she'd been idly shifting her liquid metal hands in to various shapes, moving them around and staring at them like they were the most fascinating thing ever to exist.

To top it all off, as if the incessant questioning wasn't enough, she'd been humming the same cheerful tune non stop. Even Sarah Connor who'd been sitting in the passenger seat looked like she was about to crack, or join in, one of the two. It wasn't so much the tune that annoyed him, but the fact that he couldn't quite place it. It was close enough to an existing tune to be classed as similar, but just that little bit different to be unrecognisable…and it was driving him insane.

"No, we're not there yet" Derek practically growled.

Amy looked up and locked eyes with him in the mirror. Derek didn't trust any metal, let alone one as seemingly crazy as this one, and always liked to keep at least one eye on them at all times, especially in _his_ truck. She held his gaze with a blank robotic face for several long seconds until Derek was forced to look back at the road for fear of crashing. The instant his eyes left hers, she spoke in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Thank you Derek"

Derek looked back in the mirror to find her with a broad smile on her face, almost as if she was purposefully trying to provoke a response from him.

_Nah, machines aren't that childish._

He shook his head and looked back at the road ahead.

"So remind me again, why are we heading to the ass end of nowhere to meet some less than reputable characters?"

Sarah sighed and grudgingly opened her eyes to regard him with an impatient stare. She lifted her head off her hand which was propped up on the door frame and settled her hands in her lap. Since she'd found out about John and Cameron's relationship, she had surprisingly been able to sleep quite well. Well, she wasn't sure if it was hearing the news that had sent her in to a deep sleep or if it was her small wrestling match with Amy that had done it. She refused however to believe that it was because she had spent the night in someone's arms for the first time in a long time, albeit in Amy's rather small and oddly comforting arms. No, she wouldn't allow herself to become too comfortable around her. Yes, she had won her trust and friendship, but she wouldn't allow herself to think of her as some sort of daughter. No matter how cute, cuddly and human Amy appeared on the outside, she would always be a machine, metal, and Sarah would never love one like her son was apparently capable of.

Speaking of her son, Sarah was quietly proud and impressed at the manner in which John had stepped up to the leadership plate recently. While she didn't agree with some of his decisions, she would always support him. His alliance with this Catherine Weaver being a prime example of this. Sarah considered it to be too dangerous for John to even be in the same room with her, let alone now forming some sort of partnership with her. Now to compound matters, he'd eloped with his little girlfriend and future wife to Catherine Weaver's place of business to thrash out their plans for the future with another machine who looked like Cromartie, but wasn't Cromartie, but was apparently the anti-Skynet. All of it had fried her brain, it had only managed to reboot itself after her tussle and breakdown with Amy, and now she actually felt pretty damn good to be herself for a change. Now she looked over at Derek who appeared to be growing more and more irritated with Amy's constant tormenting, while she found herself oddly able to tune it out as background noise.

_Huh, must be a parent thing._

"We're going to meet these disreputable men because John wants us to start stockpiling weapons for after Judgement day, and we're meeting them in the middle of nowhere because disreputable men have a habit of disliking busy metropolitan areas to conduct their business"

Quite succinct and detailed, or so she thought.

"What the hell do we need guns for? We have enough to supply a small army back at the house and in the supply drop" he pointed out while taking another glance in the mirror. Now it appeared that Amy had formed her hands in to the shape of a dog and was quietly chuckling to herself. He looked back at the road and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

Sarah rolled her eyes and gave him a condescending smile which she was sure infuriated him even more.

"Yeah, but remember, we're going to be having a rather large army hanging around us pretty soon. John wants to get as much prepared early as he can and it just so happens I'm still in touch with some disreputable characters who put me in touch with yet more disreputable men who do this kind of thing all the time"

Even Derek had to admit, the plan made sense, but there were two things bugging him. One, since when did Sarah follow anybody's orders, and two, why the hell did they have to bring the squirt along?

"Alright, but if anything goes wrong then we're getting the hell out of there" it wasn't a question, but Sarah nodded anyway.

Derek also nodded and chanced a glance in the rear view mirror, only to find Amy nodding enthusiastically with her eyes wide and a beaming smile on her lips. Forcing himself to ignore her, he refocused on the road, also letting out an actual growl deep in his throat this time.

"Are we there yet?"

The sweet voice from behind him pushed him over the edge, he couldn't handle it anymore and snapped.

"NO WE'RE NOT FUCKING THERE YET SO STOP FUCKING ASKING"

Sarah's eyes snapped open in shock to stare at Derek as he fumed behind the wheel. For a moment she worried that he might actually pop a vein on his forehead. Amy however didn't waste a moment before reforming her hands and making a celebratory fist with one of them.

"Yesssssss"

Sarah looked back at her and found her doing a little dance in her seat. She couldn't help herself but smile at her antics and chuckled, earning herself a dangerous looking glare from Derek which she easily ignored.

"What's up with you?" she asked a still dancing and smiling Amy.

"I bet John twenty bucks that Derek would snap first. I win!" she seemed inordinately happy at the small victory and simply sat there smiling to herself while waiting for derek's reaction.

She was rewarded for her patience by another growl, although she was disappointed by the lack of a glare in the mirror.

"What do you want with money anyway?" evidently choosing to try and deflect the attention away from himself, Derek chose to try and push it on to her.

"Well I haven't had any since the last time I looked in your wallet, I'm a little broke at the minute"

_You're telling me you're broke…wait, what?_

"You went through my wallet?"

Derek did actually glare at her in the mirror this time and Amy merely shrugged not quite apologetically.

"Yeah, I needed money and you left it lying on the counter. Who's Jessica by the way?"

Derek's head whirled around so fast he actually jerked the steering wheel down a little, knocking Sarah around in her seat which she didn't appear to be too happy with. Rather than being angry as Sarah was expecting, Derek actually started to blush as he moved his mouth wordlessly. Eventually he returned his attention to the road with his cheeks still beet red. He propped his elbow up on the door and rested his chin on it. Evidently the conversation was over…that was until Sarah chimed in out of the blue.

"Wait, John bet against me?"

Instead of replying, Amy sat up in her seat and looked out of the window. The next thing Derek knew he felt a sharp pain on his upper arm and that sickeningly sweet voice in his ear again.

"Bug Slug!"

Derek merely groaned and buried his face in his hand while Sarah grinned like an idiot.

"Are we there yet?" he mumbled in to his upturned palm.

* * *

"My, my, don't you two look…well rested"

Catherine Weaver looked up from her desk and took in the sight of a slightly dishevelled looking John and an oddly content looking Cameron, obviously with her usual no hair out of place appearance.

"Cameron! John!"

Savannah had looked up when she heard her mother speak and also saw her new friends coming in the office where she was playing. She of course failed to notice their post morning quickie look and bounded over to them happily, hugging each of them in turn, something both of them seemed decidedly uncomfortable with.

"Savannah dear, could you take your colouring books outside and see if Victoria will help you?"

Weaver's voice held a certain warmth when she spoke to her daughter. She really had developed a fondness for the little girl who regarded her as her mother. Initially she found the child to be little more than a distraction, that was until her sessions with Dr. Sherman had somehow encouraged her to pay more attention to Savannah. Since then, she'd found herself actually devoting time to looking after her. For a Terminator on a mission, this behaviour was practically unheard of. She knew she should have been focusing on nothing but developing John Henry and maintaining her cover as CEO of a major technology firm, being a parent to Savannah included in that. However she had now realised that being a parent to her actually involved more than just feeding and clothing her. She realised that she needed to care for her in order to actually be like her real mother. Whether it was a byproduct of her mimicking what she took as caring, or if it simply happened by accident, Savannah had found a spot in Catherine Weaver's metal heart and was there to stay.

The object of Catherine's musings pouted a little at being removed from the room _again_, but still did as she was asked and picked up her colouring book and pencil case and shuffled out o the room in search of her mother's nice assistant. When she'd left the office and was out of earshot, Catherine held out a hand and offered the couch to her guests and stood from behind her desk and took a seat on the couch opposite. She watched as John Connor, the saviour of humanity, and the cyborg known as Cameron, apparently his girlfriend and now lover, sat down across from her like nothing was out of the ordinary. She noted they sat a decent distance apart, for some reason they were trying to hide their relationship from the all knowing Catherine Weaver. She actually found it slightly comical the way they purposefully avoided looking at each other since they'd walked through the door, despite her ocular sensors detecting raised temperatures in John's left and Cameron's right hands. Evidently they were an item, this only confirmed what John Henry had already informed her of this morning, that they had shared a room for the night.

_Interesting…_

"Well, good morning to both of you…" never one to beat around the bush, she broached the subject of her suspicions right away "…I take it last night was…enjoyable, for both of you"

While she wasn't sure what sort of reaction to expect, she certainly wasn't prepared for what she saw. Both their heads dropped at the same time, but only after John had initially smirked. Now this was odd, as far as she knew, a young couple are usually overjoyed to be engaging in this type of relationship, and yet the couple before her seemed to be the exact opposite. But John's initial reaction, and Cameron's response albeit small had spoke volumes to the observant T-1001.

"Oh…I see. Well, at least one of you enjoyed it"

Both John and Cameron looked up at Weaver's frank assessment of their encounter last night, which was quite frankly a topic they had wanted to keep between themselves. Before Cameron could formulate and before John could stumble out a reply, Weaver carried on, focusing her attention to Cameron this time.

"I take it that your buttons are extremely well hidden my dear. Here I thought that John Connor had a legendary ability to manipulate mechanical devices. I would've thought that if anyone could, that he would be the one to…connect the right wires"

Shocked by her tirade against his girlfriend, John was about to stand up and say something along the lines of 'stay the fuck out of our business' when he felt a firm hand across his chest holding him in place. He looked over at Cameron in confusion and she gave her head a tiny shake. She lowered her hand from his chest and entwined her fingers in his. She felt a distinct sense of contentment when he chose to squeeze her hand and give her a warm smile. The corner of her lips quirked up in to a tiny smile and she turned back to face Weaver who had watched the entire exchange with an odd look of disgust and a small hint of fascination.

"Ms. Weaver, the details of our private lives are just that, private, and I would ask you to keep out of it"

Just to highlight her point, unbeknownst to John, her eyes flashed a dangerous shade of blue before settling back to her usual deep brown. Weaver meanwhile remained nonplussed and replied with a smile and a curt nod.

"Very well, I apologise for any embarrassment I may have caused you…" not giving up that easily, she turned her head to face John "…I'm sure you'll get it right eventually"

Cameron felt John's pulse instantly rise through their connected hands and felt something bad was about to happen. Knowing it would placate him, she gave his hand a squeeze and started to gently caress his knuckles with her thumb. After several moments in which she wasn't sure if her ministrations had the desired effect, she heard his breathing start to even out and his hand relaxed in hers. To her surprise, he spoke in a calm, even and polite voice.

"Thank you for your hospitality last night Ms. Weaver…" he stood up from the couch, Cameron quickly following suit "…I trust you will put in to action what we discussed with John Henry last night"

Evidently leaving no room for argument, Weaver actually felt rather impressed by the authority this young boy exuded. Apparently so was Cameron, as her sidelong soft eyed stare revealed. Catherine looked down at their still joined hands and the looks on both their faces and decided that she'd gotten enough digs in at Cameron for the day and slowly nodded her agreement. John's faced remained like stone as he nodded politely and gave Cameron's hand a gentle tug as he walked towards the door. Briefly stopping before stepping through, he looked back over his shoulder and glared at Weaver, not intimidated in the slightest that the woman on the couch could slice his head off without a moment's hesitation.

"We'll be in touch"

With that, the pair left the office and closed the door behind them, leaving a highly impressed Catherine Weaver in their wake.

"I like him" she said to no-one in particular.

* * *

If anyone had set foot in Derek's truck they would have heard a small, feminine voice grumbling to itself. But no matter how hard they tried they would never be able to locate the source of said voice. That was because Amy had reshaped herself to blend in with the back seat, but had been complaining to whoever would listen about having to do it in the first place.

"Yeah great, just blend in with the seat Amy, real good idea. 'We can't be seen to be bringing a little girl along with us for this type of thing'. Well, I could have taken a different shape, I may be small but I can be menacing, I've seen Austin Powers, Mini-Me is one badass dude. But ohhhh noooo, 'why don't you just blend in with the fabric Amy, it'll only be for a little while'. Jeez, dunno why I bother coming along anyway. I mean, look at these guys, one of 'em's so fat I can feel the truck shake when he walks. Surely Sarah and Derek could handle this one…"

Amy continued to grumble to herself while Sarah met with the arms dealers and Derek leaned against the hood of the truck and tried to look imposing, as imposing as one can look when constantly hissing at the truck itself to 'shut the hell up'.

The Connor clan had arrived about twenty minutes before their contacts had showed up. Derek didn't like the situation one little bit, they were too exposed. He had suggested he take up a position out in the sand with a sniper rifle a la Mel Gibson from Lethal Weapon style, but that had quickly been shot down by Sarah, stating that she needed his presence there with her. She was right of course, these type of bad men would obviously seek to take advantage of a lone woman attempting to buy weapons from them. At least with Derek there they would be less likely to try something, the same principle as a mechanic, Sarah thought.

She looked around her and saw four armed men, slowly moving in to position around them. Obviously this guy's muscle, they seemed to be clutching at their weapons much too firmly for Sarah's liking. Then there was the man who appeared to be the boss. A short, pudgy man with a thinning hairline dressed in an expensive looking but probably wasn't suit. Then there was a man sitting in the front of the truck who kept his eyes locked on Sarah from the moment the truck first appeared over the ridge. He sat in the shadows of the truck cab and eerily eyed the Baum's from that position. Sarah would have simply dismissed it as something perverse, if it weren't for the fact that his eyes never left hers to look at her body. There was definitely something about this guy she didn't like.

So here they were, out in the middle of the desert, totally exposed, meeting with some arms dealers with less than stellar character references. Somehow, Sarah actually felt at home in this situation. She'd exchanged pointless pleasantries with the guy who appeared to be in charge, him being seemingly impressed with Sarah's Spanish accent. Then she'd got down to business and handed over a list of what John had asked for and Derek had supplemented for these dealers to supply. Currently the boss was perusing the rather long list with bulging eyes and sweaty palms. He peered up at this seemingly fragile looking woman known as Sarah Baum and scoffed at the absurdity of what she was asking for.

"Let me get this straight Senora, you want M4 assault rifles with under-barrel grenade launchers, HK-69 40mm hand-launchers, SPAS-12 shotguns with API slugs and detonators for plastique?" the man chuckled until he caught sight of Sarah's deadly serious face "…Senora, which country are you going to war with?"

"We'll need this kind of thing soon, and we'll need it regularly, at least a delivery once a month"

"Senora, I cannot do this. You know how hard it is to come by this kind of merchandise?"

The man seemed exasperated with her demands. Sarah cut him some slack and stepped forward.

"What can you offer me?"

"Ah, si Senora, here is what I can do for you"

The man seemed proud as he led Sarah towards his flatbed truck to look at the contents. Derek made the other four guys twitch slightly when he stood to follow Sarah and inspect what was on offer. When he arrived, he was sorely disappointed.

"Yes my friends, I offer you only the finest in weaponry, all guaranteed to meet any needs you may have"

Derek peered in to a few of the opened crates and sneered.

"With all this crap? You're kidding me right? Let's see, we have some AK-47's that looked like they've been dragged through more mud than fucking Schwarzenegger, a couple boxes of 7.62 rounds, probably only half of which will actually fire, and a couple of RPG launchers. Wow, I tell you Sarah, we're probably better off looking for weaponry in the sporting goods section of Walmart"

Derek had failed to notice Sarah's glare and the increasingly red and angry looking boss during his tirade. Apparently this small time arms dealer didn't like it when someone insulted his business and the four guys with guns started closing in around them. Sarah stepped right in to Derek's face.

"You done?"

"Oh come on Sarah, we could get better weapons in a fucking toy store"

Sarah turned to face the boss, only to find him stepping in to his truck. She looked around to find the other four men cocking their guns in anticipation. The boss looked over at his companion for a moment before driving off, the back wheels of the truck kicking up dust and sand in their wake. Still, sarah was unnerved by the way the guy in the truck had stared at her for the entire meeting.

"Great work Derek, well done" she coughed through the dust.

Despite the situation Sarah gave a wry smile in Derek's direction.

"Uh, Amy…we could use some help"

* * *

For the past twenty minutes, Cameron had been stealthily observing John out of the corner of her eye while maintaining her focus on the road ahead.

Since leaving Catherine Weaver's office, he hadn't said a word, and now he sat slumped in the passenger seat with his arm propped up on the door staring out of the window at nothing in particular. She initially grew concerned when he wordlessly handed her the keys to the truck and climbed in to the passenger seat. Judging by his breathing patterns and facial expressions, from what she could tell, he was angry about something. A particular human saying kept popping in to her mind to describe the situation, 'you could cut the tension with a knife'.

_Is he angry with me?_

No, he couldn't be…could he? Was it her inability to 'orgasm' last night that was making him angry? She wasn't quite sure how she would react if that was the case, it's not like she could make herself feel more and enjoy sex more than she did. She also didn't truly understand why it bothered John as much as it did. She had told him that she enjoyed having sex with him, that the encounter was pleasurable to her in a certain way. Of course the sensations he provided her did feel distinctly nicer than other things, pain for example, but what she truly took her enjoyment from was the sense of closeness she felt when joined with John. The way she held him when he was finished and breathing heavily brought a smile to her face. The way she tenderly ran her fingers through his hair when he'd fallen asleep made her feel like she was truly one with him, like they weren't just going through the motions of coupling.

Midway through her musings, and when her fears were starting to mount that John was upset with her, she heard a loud bang on the dashboard beside her. Before taking a moment to assess the situation, she was already reaching behind her back for the concealed Glock. Sparing a glance to see if John was okay, she heard the noise again, but this time she saw what was making it. John had slammed his fist in to the dashboard twice, hard. Now he was rapidly sucking in air and his cheeks had turned a distinct shade of red.

Cameron prepared herself for the worst and put her blank mask in place ready for the inevitable telling off she'd become so accustomed to after living with the Connors for over two years.

"CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT BITCH?"

_Wait, what?_

Chancing a glance to her right, she was overjoyed to find that his anger wasn't directed to her at all. He kept his focus on the dashboard while he fumed about something else, most likely their recent meeting with Catherine Weaver.

"John?" she chanced in a quiet voice.

"How dare she stick her nose in to our business? I mean, we're allies and everything, but that doesn't mean she can go about commenting on people's sex lives"

For some reason, Cameron felt a sense of joy flood through her systems.

_We have a sex life now?_

"John, I'm sure she…"

She didn't get a chance to continue her response as he cut her off abruptly.

"And why didn't you let me defend you huh? It is kind of my job to protect people…especially you"

There was the anger towards her she'd been expecting, but not quite the subject of his annoyance she'd been waiting for. She wasn't quite prepared for this one. He was angry with her because she stopped him from saying something stupid to try and protect her. It was typical of John to try to help and protect those around him and he'd always made it a point to lavish that treatment on Cameron. Today however, while she would have been delighted to receive that treatment, it certainly wasn't a good idea.

After sitting silently for a long few seconds, Cameron turned her head to face John who was patiently waiting for an answer. She turned her head back to face the road before answering.

"John…" why did she always sound condescending when she explained something "…Catherine Weaver is an important ally. Saying something confrontational or stupid to defend me wouldn't have helped our relationship with her. I do appreciate it, but defending me over something as small and insignificant as our problems in bed wasn't worth it"

She hoped she got her point across the way she wanted to. Stealing a glance over at him, she wasn't sure if his increasingly reddening cheeks were because of more anger or embarrassment at her frank statement.

"Don't you get it Cameron…" he spoke in a much quieter voice this time "…it's not something silly or small. We're in this relationship together, and…sex is a part of that relationship too" yeah, the red was definitely through blushing rather than anger.

"We've had sex, it is a part of our relationship" she stated, with sound reasoning on her part.

"Yeah, but sex isn't all that appealing to me if you're not enjoying it too. I, I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of you…of your body. I love you Cameron, and I want you to experience everything being together has to offer"

He sat back and waited for her response, quietly proud of himself for managing to stumble through that without dying of embarrassment.

"But John, I've told you that I found it to be pleasurable. What more could there be to experience about it?"

John took one look at her innocent and naïve face and suddenly felt the urge to hug her for some reason.

"Cameron, until you're screaming my name at the top of your lungs and ripping chunks out of the headboard then I won't consider my job done. You have no idea how much more you are capable of feeling, but I'm damn well gonna do my best to make sure you feel it"

_Why would I scream his name unless he's in danger?_

Slightly baffled as to his reasoning, but taking in to account how riled up he was a few minutes ago about it, Cameron decided she would go along with it for John's sake. She had no distinct desire to improve their sex life, but it was apparent he did, and for that reason alone she would make an effort, if only to humour him.

_How much better can sex be?_

Nodding slightly, she turned to John and gave him what she hoped was a grateful looking smile. Evidently it was, because as soon as she turned back to face the road, she felt a warm set of lips press against her cheek bringing a genuine smile to her face. Her smile grew when she heard the words 'I love you' whispered in to her ear. Oh how she regretted what was about to happen next. She turned the wheel one final time and brought the truck to a stop and switched off the engine. John looked around confused for a moment until it dawned on him where they were and he let out a loud groan of disapproval and allowed his head to loll back and hit the headrest.

"What are we doing here?"

He rolled his head to the left only to find she was already half way out of the truck. Sliding out of the truck himself, he shut the door behind him and looked at her over the hood.

"I have some things I need to take care of"

He rolled his eyes. _Yeah right, I'll bet you do._

"What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

Cameron slowly walked around the front of the truck and stood in front of him. She raised on to her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

"You're supposed to do what all boyfriends do"

Still smiling from her kiss, John looked at her slightly confused.

"Oh, and what's that Princess?"

She tilted her head and the corner of her lips quirked up by a tiny amount to let him know she was enjoying this far more than she should be.

"Hold my bags"

John watched as she walked off. He raised his eyes from her backside to the large sign above the entrance doors to 'The Glendale Galleria Mall'.

_Where's a triple eight when you need one?_

_

* * *

_**I hope you all enjoyed that. Remember, there will be a pretty lengthy delay before I continue this as I will be finishing 'A Mother's Love' off first.**

**Also, huge, huge thanks to Dekardkain for beta reading this and for helping me with so many aspects of it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Screw it, I'm on a roll!**

**Thanks to reviewers olischulu, meanoldmoe, Steel_Dragon_64, jojobevco, Nyrki, TCandBTVSluver, Icemanss, kaotic2, ElusiveSanity (I think), KageOkami-Kogo, morded, darkfinder and Dragon_Seraphin.**

**

* * *

**

"Uh, Amy…we could use some help"

Hollering in the general direction of Derek's truck, Sarah eyed the four men advancing on Derek and herself warily. Quickly assessing their situation and putting to use her years of paramilitary training, she decided their best chance was to take cover behind the truck belonging to these thugs, the only problem being the guy directly between them and the relative safety of the truck.

"Amy…getting a little nervous here…"

One of the men, probably the only one that understood English, also the one blocking their path, looked around for any signs of who the impudent Senora was talking to. Finding no-one, he turned back to face the pair.

"Who you talk to eh? Nobody here, nobody gonna save you"

To his surprise and confusion, both Derek and Sarah actually smiled at his statement. Derek held his hand out palm upwards and rotated his other index finger around it while mouthing 'turn around' and nodding to something behind him. He looked around at his compadres to find them staring behind him, their frowns almost matching each other's. Slowly turning around, his eyes locked on to a small girl, a mere child, her hands clasped behind her back and a sweet smile on her face, her pigtails gently blowing in the wind. Not quite knowing what to make of her, the man simply stood and stared, his frown now equal to those on his friends faces.

"Hi"

Before he even had a chance to comprehend why she was there, or how angelic her voice sounded, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and had a sudden struggle breathing. Looking down, he saw a long spear emerging from the little girls hand and penetrating his chest. He dropped his gun to the ground with a clatter and looked back up at the little angel, a sweet smile still present on her face as she stared, fascinated, at the spear slowly robbing his life from him.

Feeling his knees go weak, the man dropped to his knees. As he felt he was sucking in his last breath, he looked at the girl once again, this time through darkening eyes. He decided then and there that she was no angel. Angel de la muerte, the angel of death suited her more.

Amy's little display had proved enough to distract the remaining three goons as they watched their fourth slump to the ground. Both Sarah and Derek took the opportunity to pull their guns and started firing vaguely in the direction of the three targets while sprinting behind the cover of their enemy's truck. Hurling themselves behind their makeshift cover, deftly dodging the return fire now peppering the side of the truck. They hunkered down, both breathing somewhat heavily…and both somewhat surprised to find Amy sitting on her ass with her back to one of the tires taking cover next to them. She looked at their confused faces, Derek leaning past Sarah to gawk at her, and crossed her arms defensively.

"What? They're shooting at us"

That only served to baffle the human pair as the peered sidelong at her. Derek was the first to shrug it off as he checked how much ammo he had remaining in his gun.

"Whatever, where are they?"

Sarah turned away from Amy and shrugged.

"I dunno, I was too busy ducking to notice. Amy, you see anything?" she asked.

Amy shrugged in reply causing Derek to roll his eyes.

"Fat lot of good you are"

Amy shot a glare at Derek while he flinched as a a bullet pinged off the other side of the truck just above his head.

"I could have stayed as the backseat you know. I didn't have to bail your ass out" she accented her statement with a teasing smirk, one which Derek returned to both his and hers surprise.

Sarah observed the exchange, finding it slightly surreal and a little creepy.

"You mind taking a look?" she asked Amy in her most sincere tone.

Amy gave her a quick nod and shuffled around on to her knees facing the truck. Slowly raising her head up, she tried to peer over the top of the truck. As soon as she poked the top of her head out from behind cover, a bullet impacted the metal of the truck right in front of her head. Evidently these guys weren't as bad of a shot as they looked. Quickly ducking back down, Amy resumed her position sitting against the wheel. Derek and Sarah looked across incredulously at her, however she didn't seem to notice their reactions and spoke anyway.

"Fuck that…" she shifted her gaze to Derek "…you take a look"

Derek stared at her incredulously, unable to fully comprehend her behaviour. Sarah meanwhile had a slightly different reaction.

"Language young lady" she scolded.

_Wait, did I just tell off a Terminator for swearing?_

Finding the whole situation ludicrous, Derek rounded on and vented his frustration at Sarah.

"Did you just tell a Terminator off for swearing?"

Sarah chuckled lightly to Derek's surprise.

"Yeah, I did…" she nodded her head in the direction the bullets were coming from, their cover now closely resembling swiss cheese rather than the truck it was less than a minute ago "…you go take a look"

With little more than a frown in Sarah and more specifically Amy's direction, Derek did as he was told and slid along the side of the truck. He poked his head around the side only to withdraw it quickly and slump against the truck again. He started banging the back of his head against the solid metal.

"Fuck…" bang "…fuck…" bang "….fuck"

Amy and Sarah shared a quizzical look with each other before simultaneously directing their gaze towards Derek. At their questioning looks, he elaborated.

"They're taking cover behind my truck" as if that was all the explanation they needed.

Amy and Sarah kept up their confused looks, making Derek squirm slightly.

"Anybody who puts a hole in my truck will get a hole in their leg…I love that truck" he muttered to himself.

"Ooookay" Sarah chimed in.

"Okay, here's the plan. Short Round, you take them all out while we stay here and avoid getting shot" Derek wasn't usually one to avoid a fight, but when you had 'friendly' metal on hand you may as well use it.

_Short Round?_

"Hey, how come I've gotta go out there and get shot? This is a nice dress" Amy protested while smoothing the front of her pretty blue dress down.

Derek was two steps short of shooting her himself, if he wasn't so sure that Sarah would cut his balls off he probably would have.

"It's not even a real damn dress, and you're fucking bulletproof anyway" he argued.

"Doesn't mean it's not still pretty. Anyway, I don't like getting shot any more than you do…I have a thing alright, just let it go"

Sarah looked over at Amy's sad expression. She was just about to reach over when a bullet penetrated the metal just above her head and hit the ground in front of them, kicking up a puff of dirt as it did. The three stared at it and simultaneously realised they had to do something about these guys, and quick.

"Remember, don't shoot my truck" Derek hollered as he stood and took aim at the first poor sap that happened to stick his head out from behind cover.

Sarah quickly followed suit, efficiently picking off one man to the left of the truck. She quickly ducked back down and double checked her ammo. Derek hunkered back down and huddled next to Sarah.

"Did you hit it?" he asked, slightly breathless.

"Yeah, I got the guy on the left"

Derek shook his head.

"No, I meant, did you hit my truck?"

"Dammit Derek, fuck your truck…where's Amy?"

The pair looked around to find the little machine girl nowhere to be found. Simultaneously they both peeked out from above the truck in time to see something silver slither along the ground towards their enemy. They watched as it slithered under the truck. The next thing they saw was one of the guys slump to the ground. His partner, seemingly unaware of what was transpiring next to him, kept on firing in their direction. He got off a lucky shot, a shot that grazed Sarah's upper arm.

Amy, having quickly dispatched the first goon had reformed in to her usual shape, just in time to hear a pained cry from Sarah's direction. Amy froze, not quite sure how to react to knowing that he charge had been hurt. The shooter ducked down behind the truck to reload. Catching sight of a little blonde girl, he jumped back slightly, startled. Then upon seeing his compadre with blood seeping from underneath his crumpled body, he immediately aimed his weapon at Amy. She didn't give him a chance to fire as she immediately wrapped a long metallic tentacle around the outstretched hand pointing the gun at her. With a quick flick, she snapped the mans wrist as he cried out in agony and dropped the gun. He stumbled backwards and tried to use his legs to shuffle away from his attacker. He made it a few yards, Amy having released his mangled wrist, just far enough to emerge from behind the cover of the truck when the same tentacle that broke his wrist snaked out and wrapped around his throat and tightened. Amy watched the man struggle for breath with fear in his eyes. He choked out a few terrified sounding words.

"Por…favor, por favor"

Please, please, he kept on repeating to Amy's deaf ears. She advanced on him, all the while keeping her tight grip on his throat.

"You hurt my Sarah"

The man watched with terror in his eyes as Amy formed her other hand in to a sharp metallic blade. Her eyes remained locked on his with a blank, impassive expression on her face. The man croaked out more words at the sight of this abomination in front of him.

"Ay dios mío"

Amy heard his words and it gave her a moments pause. 'Oh my God'.

"You hurt my Sarah" she repeated while tightening her grip around his neck, so much so that he started turning a distinct shade of purple.

Not hesitating any more, the man's eyes widened in fear as Amy aimed the blade at his head, right between his eyes. With no warning, the spear shot out and hammered in to the ground, kicking up dirt like the bullet had done a few moments ago. Amy loosened her grip on the man's neck and reformed her tentacle in to a hand. The man however remained perfectly still, impaled on Amy's other arm, blood slowly seeping down the length of the blade and mixing with the dirt and sand on the ground.

Sarah, who had managed to crawl, despite Derek's protestations, to the end of the truck, watched as Amy slowly withdrew the blade and reformed it in to a hand. She looked on as she casually stepped over the man and moved around the the near side of Derek's truck. She calmly opened the back door and climbed in. Sarah saw her pulling the seatbelt around herself, apparently they were going home. She looked back at the crumpled heap of the man with a large hole in his head and felt a shiver run down her spine. If ever she needed a reminder what Amy was, there it was, lying in the desert to rot.

"Come on, let's get you back in the truck" Derek said, concern evident in his voice.

Sarah nodded distractedly, keeping her eyes locked on the dead man. Derek helped her to her feet and guided her over to his truck. Discreetly checking for bullet holes and finding none, Derek opened the passenger seat and guided a shellshocked looking sarah inn to the seat. He opened the back door and carefully, all the while keeping an eye on her, reached under Amy's seat for the first aid kit. Amy seemed not to notice him, she simply sat and stared at her hands. Derek flinched when she suddenly reached one hand up and brought it to her chest, just below the neckline of her dress and gripped at something beneath.

Shrugging off her behaviour, Derek grabbed the first aid kit and closed the door. He returned to the passenger door and handed Sarah the kit.

"Here, patch yourself up for now, we need to get out of here"

With that, he dashed around to the drivers side and jumped in. Silently thanking whatever deity he prayed to that his precious Dodge Ram was unharmed, he floored the accelerator and sped off, leaving only a dust cloud in their wake.

* * *

Idly flipping through the pages of his third magazine, John couldn't quite remember the last time he'd actually read any of the words on the page. Instead he merely sat there in a very uncomfortable but highly fashionable chair, clearly out of his comfort zone and trying to blend in as best he could. This wasn't his scene, this wasn't how he wanted to spend his Saturday afternoon. Hell, this wasn't even a place he'd ever been to before in his life, and yet, he continued to put on a brave albeit bored face. Setting his current magazine down, he picked up another one, only for a movement to catch the corner of his eye. He looked up to find Cameron approaching him with a beaming smile on her face. Examining her body starting from her feet, his eyes trailed up her long, denim clad legs and up over her slim figure to finally settle on her beautiful face. She settled herself in to the seat next to him and leaned over to plant a friendly kiss on his lips. He sat there, slightly dumbstruck, barely remembering to kiss her back. Instead he was transfixed on her hair…and all the bits of silver foil stuck seemingly in random places throughout its length.

"Uh, what's this?"

He started to reach out a hand to inspect the offending items until he felt her slender hand close around his and gently push it away. He looked at her quizzically for a moment, only for her to respond with a customary tilt of her head.

"Susan told me not to touch it" she stated.

"Who's Susan" he asked, still in something of a state of disbelief and not really focusing on anything.

Cameron nodded her head in the direction of a middle aged woman rinsing her hands in the sink at the other side of the room. Bringing his eyes back to Cameron's, John scanned the rather stylish and expensive looking salon on the way.

"I thought you were just getting it cut, what's all this about?" he asked, nodding at her hair.

He thought back to her guiding him towards the salon as soon as they'd entered the mall. She surprised him by announcing that she had an appointment to keep. He'd argued that her hair was fine, she countered that it was too long, he fought back once again with 'it's fine', desperate to avoid having to sit there for hours in the unfamiliar and, to him, hostile environment. As far as he was concerned, that salon may as well have been post apocalyptic L.A with hoards of roaming Terminators. Actually, he'd rather it had been. He'd have preferred that to the torture of having to sit there, flipping through magazines, listening to annoying upbeat dance music and being forced to listen to every woman in the place surrounding him prattling on about so many inconsequential things. He'd eventually relented when she pouted and twirled a few strands around her finger. The way her puppy dog eyes pleaded with him and the way she'd asked him if he didn't like her hair would always crack his resolve. The smile and kiss he got when he agreed made up for it…for a while. Now though, evidently she'd decided she wanted a change and had opted that hair dye was the way to go.

_How come Skynet couldn't think of some way for Terminators to change their hair colour on their own? Surely that would help with infiltration?_

Forcing those thoughts down and silently admonishing himself for thinking of his girlfriend as a Terminator, John refocused on her face when she opened her mouth to reply to his earlier question.

"I did just come in for a cut, but then she offered to 'liven it up a little'. Are you mad?"

John paused a moment to consider her words before a slow smile crept up his face. He had to admit, he was a little upset with her. Not only had he been dragged to the mall in the first place, but now he had to endure almost twice the length of torture he would have had to otherwise. But after thinking about it, he realised that she probably was doing all this stuff for him anyway. Why else would she go to all the hassle of dying her hair?

"Do I really look that bored?" he asked.

"Yes, you do…" she smiled seductively at him before leaning in again once more to kiss him lovingly and teasingly "…I'll make it up to you later"

She sealed the deal with a smile and a wink. John's brain just about turned to mush.

_Damn, how does she always manage to do that?_

"Cameron sweetheart, would you like to take a seat"

Just as John was about to reply, a kind voice called out from across the room. His eyes followed Cameron as she stood to find Susan waiting for her near one of the hairdresser's chairs. John caught her eye in the mirror and made sure to smile as she sat down, eagerly anticipating what she had planned to make it up to him.

* * *

About two hours in to their drive, Derek glanced across towards the passenger seat to see Sarah looking quite pale with her head lolled back on the headrest with her eyes closed. He also noticed blood seeping out from under the poorly applied bandages on her arm wound. To be honest, Derek just wanted to get out of that damn truck. Amy hadn't said a word since she'd set foot in the car and neither had Sarah. If he wasn't so familiar with the occupants or the situation he would probably have put it down to an oestrogen overload or something. Finally snapping, he pulled the truck over rather abruptly in to a small gas station. Bringing the truck to a stop, he switched off the engine and leaned over towards Sarah. He shook her awake, careful not to touch her wound. She roused and looked at him, slightly confused as to where she was and what was going on. That was until the pain from her arm flared up and it all came flooding back to her. She hissed in pain as she watched Derek climb out of the truck and walk around the front of the hood and opened the passenger door. He reached in and surprisingly gently pulled Sarah's injured arm towards him and gave it a quick inspection.

"It looks like this'll need a few stitches. Stay here, I'll go get you something to eat"

Sarah watched him as he walked off towards the gas station store, totally taken by surprise with his concern and tenderness. She turned in her seat and caught sight of Amy in the back. She looked miserable, and that thought alone slightly unnerved Sarah.

"Are you alright?" she croaked in Amy's direction, hampered by her parched throat.

Amy didn't reply, instead she sat there staring off in to space and playing with something unseen underneath her dress over her chest. Slumping back in to her seat, Sarah admitted defeat, she'd tried, but apparently if a machine didn't want to talk then they didn't want to talk. She idly wondered how John managed to hold a conversation with his future bride.

_Wait, did you just refer to Cameron, the machine, as your son's future wife? What is wrong with you?_

Sarah then wondered if having an asshole monologue was genetic and John suffered from the same affliction. Nah, he couldn't…could he? She snapped out of her little internal debate and looked down at her injured arm and the blood seeping out from the bandages. She sat up to avoid getting blood on Derek's precious truck, apparently he was quite fond of it. She removed the hastily applied bandages and inspected her wound. If this little scratch, by her standards, had incited Amy to do as much damage to the guy that shot her as she did, then she dread to think what she would do to someone who really hurt her.

Stealing another glance towards the back seat, Sarah found Amy still sitting there in silence, seemingly completely out of touch with reality. She wondered what it was she was playing with underneath the layer of clothing. Truth be told she was worried about her. She'd never seen her be quite so…sadistic before. She could have dealt with this guy in a quick and efficient manner, but it appeared that she wanted to make him suffer for what he did to her. Whether or not Amy was aware that Sarah could see what she did or not, she didn't know, but it made her feel decidedly uncomfortable to know that someone or something would go to such lengths for her. Now she had an inkling as to how John felt whenever he had to watch someone die for him.

She was shaken from her thoughts when she saw Derek returning towards her across the forecourt with an arm full of what she was assuming was food. He reached her and dumped a veritable banquet of sugary and chocolatey treats on her lap before grabbing the first aid kit. He opened it and picked out a needle and thread.

"Eat, this won't take long"

She opened the wrapper of a chocolate bar and nibbled at the contents while she watched him thread the needle carefully.

"This might sting"

At Sarah's nod, he jabbed the needle through her skin and started to stitch her wound shut while Sarah gripped the seat a little tighter and tried not to flinch too much. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Amy shift slightly. Chancing a closer look, she subtly spied her and found a look of slight concern on her face. But just as soon as it had appeared, it was quickly removed and she turned away when she noticed Sarah observing her.

_Damn, this is going to be a long drive._

_

* * *

_

Laying flat on his back on the couch with his nimble fingers dancing over the smooth surface, John had to admit he was delighted with Cameron's efforts at making it up to him. After forcing him through the hell of waiting for her in a salon, she'd really gone all out to get back on his good side. He admired the smooth lines and delicate curves as his fingers continued to their expert exploration. Getting lost in the sight before him, he was startled slightly when Cameron spoke.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you like my gift?"

"Oh yeah, you're amazing"

John looked up from the screen of the brand new iPhone Cameron had bought him. He looked up and found Cameron standing in front of the mirror in the lounge inspecting her new hairdo. She'd decided to go with an overall lighter shade of brown, the very tips almost appearing blonde. The stylist had cut, blow dried and straightened her hair, evidently Cameron found her new look pleasing as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror. John couldn't help but find it cute the way she idly played with the lighter parts and gave her head the odd flick. It was such a girly thing to do, and he often wondered where she got her sense of style and fashion from. He obviously always found her to be attractive, right from the first day they met he always thought she was one of the prettiest girls alive, or, existing to be more precise. Her fashion sense had at first left a lot to be desired, after all, what was up with those fingerless gloves she always used to wear? But over the last year or so her clothing and appearance had changed and she generally looked older than the sixteen years she was made to resemble. Going with a more generic style of jeans, boots and a jacket was even more pleasing to John's eye than many of her earlier attempts. But now it appeared that she had also developed a distinct taste in the way she wanted to appear, she always looked pristine, even that morning after their first 'exploration' session. John looked a mess but she didn't have a hair out of place.

_How does she do that anyway?_

So now, as a thank you for putting up with her beauty regimen, i.e waiting for her in the mall, she had bought him a brand new phone. He'd been hinting at Sarah that he needed, or rather wanted a new phone for months. Apparently Cameron had been paying attention and had decided to treat him. He was sure she did it just for the sick pleasure she took from dragging him to the phone store and falsely guiding him towards every lingerie shop in between the salon and there only to veer off at the last second and watch him breathe a huge sigh of relief.

"John, do you like my new hair?"

Shaking his head slightly, John looked up from the phone to find Cameron had turned away from the mirror, but still twirled a few strands of hair around her finger playfully. He was just about to respond when an app finished downloading and his phone beeped, tearing his attention away from her.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's gorgeous sweetie"

_Sweetie?_

Evidently finding his reply less than satisfactory, Cameron took a step closer and examined him as he seemed focused on the small device in his hand. She huffed and folded her arms dramatically.

"I think you love that mechanical device more than you love me…" she accused, somewhat seriously "…you are aware of the rather limited security features of that particular model and the many issues it has with signal degredation?"

If John didn't know any better, he was sure she was a little jealous of his new phone.

"Oh come on Cameron, it's me you're talking to. I can have this thing hacked up so much I could probably even use your chip to run it" his grin faltered when he looked at her slightly hurt expression.

"Hmph, that stone age hardware couldn't handle my chip"

John looked up and saw her pout. Once again he melted from one simple action and had a sudden ingenious idea.

"Hey Cameron, c'mere and sit down"

She eyed him sceptically for a moment before taking a few short steps and primly perching herself on the edge of the couch.

"Now smile"

She tilted her head, confused at his sudden and seemingly random request.

"Why?"

"Because I want to take a picture of you"

"Why?"

John rolled his eyes and smiled, his eyes sparkled as he launched in to another one of his favourite activities, explain something to Cameron.

"Because, I'm going to set it as my phone background picture"

"Why?"

"You know, considering you're supposed to have a highly advanced CPU you really are slow sometimes aren't you…" he smiled and chuckled a little, but sobered up when he saw her slightly hurt expression "…I would like to take a picture of you and set it as my background so that whenever I use my phone I'll see your beautiful face. Seeing you makes me smile, I'd like to be able to smile whenever and wherever I am"

She ran his explanation through her head. Finding it logical and actually a little flattering, she smiled and leaned in to kiss him, a kiss he gladly returned. She pulled back and smiled.

"Thank you. You may take your picture"

John grinned and held up his phone and centred her in the viewfinder. Her lips quirked up in to her usual faint smile and he snapped her image and set it as the background. He turned the phone around and showed it to her, eagerly awaiting her opinion.

"There, gorgeous huh? What do you think?"

She frowned and used her optical sensors to zoom in on the image.

"There are 4 strands of hair across my face on the image, it's unacceptable. Take another one" she commanded.

John merely chuckled and reached out to tuck the offending strands behind her ear.

"Sorry Princess, I like it, it stays"

He sat up, planted a kiss on her cheek and watched her frown melt away. He loved that he had that effect on her.

"So, whaddya say we put on some crappy movie and snuggle on the couch for a while?"

As quickly as her frown had disappeared, it returned just as fast.

"Snuggle?"

"Uh yeah. It means cuddle, mom and Amy aren't due back for a while. Plus, you never know, it could give me another chance to find out something you like" he rand a hand up the inside of her thigh suggestively and watched as her eyes followed his hand.

She considered his suggestion for a few seconds before her face suddenly lit up with an idea.

"Could we watch The Lion King?"

"Ugh, you've seen that movie like fifteen times already"

"Seven…" she corrected "…but I enjoy it every time"

John didn't want to be forced in to watching it with her again because he knew it made him cry like a baby every damn time, but he once again took one look at her face and relented.

_Damn that girl, why does she have to be so good at doing that to me?_

"Alright, alright, we'll watch it…" he smiled at her and climbed off the couch "…you go get the movie and I'll go get something to eat"

John wasn't quite sure what he'd just let himself in for, but he swore he wasn't going to cry this time.

* * *

Cameron wasn't quite sure why, but she'd carried on munching on the big tub of popcorn long after John had drifted off to sleep with his head on her shoulder. Evidently he didn't feel like indulging in sexual relations with her tonight. Either that or he found the Lion King to be truly boring. She assumed it was the latter, after all, he couldn't be bored with her sexually after only a day could he?

Dismissing that thought as ridiculous, she looked down at her boyfriend who was currently drooling on her shoulder. They'd spent an enjoyable day together, or rather, she'd had a rather enjoyable day with him. After all, they were a couple now, and she felt that they should do couple like activities. Hence why she'd dragged him to the mall, why she'd been pestering him for his opinion on her new hairdo and why she'd bought him a tight present. Although she did slightly regret that last action based on the way he was still clutching the device in his right hand like it was the most precious thing in the world to him.

Just as she was about to rouse him and suggest engaging in some R rated activities, she heard the telltale signs of Derek's truck pulling in to the driveway. She heard two doors open and close and the truck pull away. Apparently Derek wouldn't be joining them tonight.

"John" she whispered softly.

John didn't stir, if anything he buried himself deeper in to her shoulder.

"John" she repeated a little louder this time.

Once again he failed to wake up. When she opened her mouth to speak to him again, Sarah walked in to the house and yelled immediately, giving no concern to who was doing what and where.

"JOHN?"

This time John certainly did wake up, in fact he almost jumped clean off the couch. If it weren't for Cameron holding him down he might have. He swivelled his head around to find his mother looming large behind him. If he'd paid careful attention to her eyes, he'd probably have noticed that she was staring at John's hand which currently resided on Cameron's thigh possessively. Instead he focused on Amy as she stalked up the stairs without a word. Finally looking up at his mother, he noticed she was holding her arm.

"Mom, are you okay?" he asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a scratch" she smiled to try and ease his worry and was relieved when he nodded.

"So how'd it go?" he asked, referring to the meeting with the arms dealers.

Sarah shrugged and tried her best to hide the grimace of pain the movement caused with a smile.

"Not that great"

"Why, what happened?…" he looked at the stairs for a moment before looking back at Sarah "…What's up with Amy?"

Sarah turned and looked up the stairs much in the same way John had done a moment before. Her expression which remained hidden to John betrayed her worry for her little friend.

"I don't know exactly…" she turned back to face her son "…We'll talk about the meeting in the morning…" she took a glance around the room, in particular the TV "…how was the movie?" she purposefully lightened her tone.

"It was good, John cried" it was Cameron who spoke this time in response to Sarah's question.

"I did not" he countered playfully.

"Yes, you did" she deadpanned.

"What were you watching?" Sarah asked, quietly observing the interplay between them.

"The Lion King. John cried when Simba's father died"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"The Lion King? John, you always cry when you watch that, stop denying it" well that was it, Sarah quickly and efficiently silenced the argument in the way only a mother can, through sheer embarrassment.

She leaned over the couch and kissed her son on the top of his head.

"I'm going to bed…" she paused and pointedly looked between John and Cameron "…don't stay up too late. We'll talk in the morning"

Taking the hint, John nodded.

"Night mom, I'm glad you're home"

Sarah smiled and John watched as she wearily climbed the stairs. He turned to face Cameron who had a certain sense of eagerness in her expression.

"Uh Cameron, listen. Maybe you should sleep in your own room tonight"

She tilted her head in confusion, and she had to admit, slight disappointment.

"I don't sleep, you know that"

"What I meant was, I don't think we should be together tonight, at least not until we have a chance to break the news to mom about us. I can't imagine what she'd do if she found out about our relationship while we were, you know…'exploring'"

He looked at her disappointed expression, but he knew he was right, and he hoped that deep down she knew it too. Apparently she did as she slowly nodded.

"Okay John…" she leaned forward and kissed the corner of his lips "…when will you tell her so that we can have sex again?"

The way she talked so unashamedly about sex would always embarrass John, despite the fact that he should have been used to it by now. This time he leaned forward and kissed her lips, the exact same way she'd done to him a moment ago.

"I'll see if I can work up the courage to do it tomorrow…and you're gonna be right there with me"

He smiled and kissed her again before standing up and moving to pick up his phone when Cameron suddenly stopped his hand from reaching its goal. His eyes followed her outstretched arm to find her frowning at him disapprovingly.

"What?" he enquired, mystified as to her intentions.

She ran her hand along his own arm and followed it to pick up the phone off the couch.

"You're in a relationship now John, I won't let you take any other electronic device to bed with you. You will remain faithful to me"

If it wasn't for the tiny ghost of a smile on her lips, he would have been certain that she being serious. Instead he merely chuckled and kissed her outstretched hand.

"Good night Cameron, love you"

"Good night John, sleep well"

John started to climb the stairs when a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, uh, are you okay with being alone tonight?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice.

While she'd only spent one night in bed with him, he didn't want her to feel like he didn't care about her. He wanted to make sure she understood that it was merely due to circumstances at the moment that stopped him sharing his bed with her. He remembered her saying last night that she was cold while wandering the halls on patrol, he didn't want her to feel cold or alone any more.

"Yes John, I'll be fine…thank you" she accented her answer with a reassuring smile and watched as he smiled in reply and carried on up the stairs.

She sat down on the couch and picked up the bowl of popcorn, intent on finishing it off. She also picked up the remote control for the DVD player and pressed play to start The Lion King again. She liked that movie, and if she couldn't be in John's bed then she may as well do something to pass the time other than patrolling in the cold.

* * *

Derek Reese had never been more nervous in his life. He'd hid from Terminators, he'd stood up to torture, he'd killed men in cold blood. But nothing rattled his nerves like what was going on now. To top it all off he felt stupid, here he was feeling totally uncomfortable and out of place, and he was pretty sure he was being mentally undressed by the old cougar sitting three seats down from him at the restaurant bar. Wearing a suit and tie for only the third time in his life, he had to laugh at himself for how out of place he felt.

Checking his watch for what felt like the thirtieth time since he'd sat down, he wondered why he was so nervous. It wasn't like he hadn't done this before, albeit in entirely different surroundings and circumstances. Usually he would take one look at a fancy place like this and run back to the park and order a hotdog, but tonight was different. He had resolved a while ago to treat this night like a mission. Secure appropriate attire, check. Ensure personal hygiene, check. Don't punch the valet, check. Keep calm and try to blend in, still working on that. Not that he exactly stuck out like a sore thumb, the rather expensive suit saw to that, but he did feel distinctly out of his comfort zone. He told himself it would be worth it, that the rewards would outweigh the drawbacks, but now that he was sitting here he was starting to doubt himself. The way the Maitre d' had took one look at him and subtly signalled for security with an almost imperceptible nod of his head had put him in a bad mood to start off with. Seeing that Derek did in fact have a reservation, albeit in someone else's name, a name he very much recognised soon changed his demeanour and he was personally escorted to the bar and given his first drink on the house while he awaited his companion. No better way to draw attention to yourself than by being cordially greeted and treat like royalty by the restaurants staff.

As he checked his watch again, Derek felt a distinct presence over his right shoulder. Casually taking a sip of his drink, he reminded himself where he was and willed himself not to react the way he was programmed to do. He felt a hand slide on to his shoulder and a soft, feminine voice speaking.

"You're early"

He looked over and watched as a lithe, female figure slipped on to the seat next to him. Her black dress shimmered under the lighting of the bar. Derek took note of the way the dress wouldn't have looked out of place on the red carpet, and yet still clung to all the right places. Stopping modestly just below her knee, a slit in the side allowed an ample view of her milky thigh. He snapped his eyes upwards and looked at her hand which still rested on his shoulder. Allowing his eyes to follow it's slender length, his eyes settled on her face. Her distinctly uncommon features stood out from a mile away and made her all the more beautiful. Her features convinced Derek that she was of foreign descent, but hadn't plucked up the courage to ask her where from yet. Her face was framed by a mane of long dark brown hair, lightly curled and draped over one shoulder. She smiled at him as he appraised her, apparently not caring that he was one step short of drooling. He smiled and gently took hold of her hand and lifted it off his shoulder. He brought it around in front of his face and kissed her knuckles and watched as she smiled shyly in response.

"Hey Jess"

* * *

**I WILL finish A Mother's Love...eventually! :)**

**Also, be sure to check out my profile to see how I picture both Amy and now Jessica.**

**Huge thanks as always to Dekardkain for providing valuable input in to, well, pretty much everything!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey dudes and dudettes,**

**As always thanks to reviewers jojobevco, RachelJones648, olischulu, Steel_Dragon_64, Ralmidaz, Dragon_Seraphin, EvilTheLast, XxDeathStarxX, kaotic2, joesmith, darkfinder, TCandBTVSluver, CloudyShadows, Shikyo-sama and greg3952.**

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* * *

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"Hey Jess"

Derek eyed the beautiful young woman whose hand he was currently kissing as she smiled shyly, her cheeks tinting a delightful shade of pink.

"Mr. Baum, it's only our second date. My name is Jessica, a little brash of you to presume I like to be called Jess isn't it"

Her bright smile told him she wasn't serious with her statement in any way. Grinning more to himself than anything, Derek released her hand.

"Well, it's a pretty name either way"

"Wow, brash and a charmer…have I made a mistake in meeting with you again Sir?' she asked coyly, her blue eyes narrowed, barely visible behind her long dark lashes.

Derek chuckled. "The only mistake you made was not seeing me again sooner"

She nodded, remembering the last time they met and their rather steamy encounter in a hotel room.

"Confident too. Is there anything I should know about you? Are you James Bond when you're not too busy being a software developer?"

They both chuckled as Derek summoned the bartender over to them. "James Bond? Please, I'm more like Jason Bourne, less suave but so much more realistic"

"Dazed, confused, doesn't really know where he is or what he's doing?" she deadpanned, still with a slight smirk.

Chuckling again, Derek fidgeted with his tie while looking at Jessica fondly. "Yeah, that's me…" he turned to address the bartender who patiently waited to take his order "…could I have a…" he turned back to Jessica who answered his unspoken question.

"White wine"

"…A glass of white wine please" he completed his order to the bartender who looked at Jessica.

"Will your usual be okay Miss Grey?"

"Yes, thank you Stephen" she answered with a kind smile.

Derek watched as the bartender trooped off to prepare her drink and then looked at her quizzically.

"Stephen? Your usual? Miss Grey? If I didn't know any better I'd think you'd been here before" he joked.

She nodded in reply and looked around the finely decorated restaurant.

"Yeah, this is Daddy's favourite restaurant, I've eaten here for years"

Just as Derek was about to reply, a waiter approached them. From the looks of him he was the head honcho.

"Excuse me, Miss Grey, your usual table is ready" his accent heavily laden with what Derek assumed was Italian, or maybe French, he couldn't quite tell.

Derek watched as Jessica gracefully slid out of her seat and followed the waiter across the room to a table for two by the window. While his first reaction was his brain screaming at him that it was a security risk to sit by the windows like that, his body couldn't help but stare at his date as she slinked away in front of him in that amazing dress.

He stood up and followed her, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the judgmental stares he was receiving from the restaurant's other patrons. It wasn't an odd sight for the enigmatic young Jessica Grey to be dining here, but for her to have a relative scruff like Derek, despite the fact he'd shaved that day, in tow was quite irregular. The waiter took up a position by the table and made way for Jessica. Derek, thankful for whatever manners his mother had managed to teach his sixteen year old brain before the bombs dropped, remembered to pull the chair out for his date at the last second. She smiled up appreciatively at him at the gesture. Despite her smile Derek had a feeling she would have kicked up a stink if he'd forgot the small action. He took a seat opposite her with a smile and accepted the napkin from the waiter. All of this rigmarole would normally have grated on Derek, after all he was more used to takeout Chinese food and a six pack of beer than the fine dining he was about to experience. The only thing that stopped him from getting up and walking out was the thought of his date…pressed up against him…in that dress.

Shaking his head and forcefully getting rid of those thoughts…at least for the time being, Derek refocused when the waiter handed him a menu, still maintaining his professionalism despite his obvious disdain for Derek and his ilk. Opening the menu, Derek's eyes bulged when he realised it didn't even have any prices listed. Apparently it was just expected that if you were eating in this place that you were so loaded that you didn't really care how much you paid. Stealthily peeking out from above his menu, he noticed Jessica didn't seem perturbed in the slightest and perused the menu like it was a magazine.

To Derek's eternal surprise, the meal went quite well. He ordered politely for them both, kept up a casual conversation and she hadn't ran away yet. All in all it was a pretty successful appetiser and main course. He managed to not only avoid spilling half his meal down his shirt, what little of it there was, but he'd also managed to avoid punching every passerby who gave him an odd look. When he ordered his steak he was expecting half a cow to turn up, instead he received a grand total of six mouthfuls, and while each bite was delicious, he couldn't help but feel a little unfulfilled.

Having successfully negotiated dessert, the conversation turned towards Jessica.

"Well, I'm a model"

"Yeah, I remember you saying" Derek couldn't help but hide his smirk.

"I mostly do runway work and the occasional photo shoot, you know, for magazines and designers"

"Uh huh" Derek nodded along, trying to look interested.

"I live in L.A, I have an apartment in Beverley Hills" she stopped and took a sip of her wine and didn't appear to want to carry on.

"And?…" he prompted.

"Well, that's about it, everyone knows the details of my life. Travel here, travel there, get paid to keep myself pretty…" she shrugged to cover what Derek assumed to be embarrassment "…Whereas you strike me as the interesting type. I'll bet you have a few stories to tell" she gave him a tiny smile which he found irresistibly sexy.

Derek swished a mouthful of beer around before he launched in to his well rehearsed cover story. "Well as you know I'm a freelance software developer. Oh yeah I've worked for all the big companies, Microsoft, Apple, Nintendo, you know, the usual" he said, trying to sound nonchalant about it all.

"Wow, so what does being a software developer involve?" she gave her eyelashes a quick flutter of encouragement.

"Well uh…" he stammered, usually people don't pay this much interest "…I spend a lot of time working with the server…in the matrix. AI is massive with the…virus and the uh…mainframe"

Derek looked up to find her looking a little less than impressed.

"What?" he asked, shuffling nervously in his seat.

"Derek, would you please stop bullshitting me?" Derek looked around to see if her louder than a whisper outburst had attracted any attention.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, you're not a software developer. In fact, I know you're not who you claim to be"

Alarm bells started ringing in Derek's head, 'what does she mean by that?' 'who is she?'.

"What makes you say that?" he asked guardedly.

Jessica scoffed a little. "Would you like a list? First of all let me explain something to you. I grew up being surrounded by pretentious assholes who discussed the size of their trust funds like they were arguing about dick size. I kept getting dragged to this restaurant when I was little by my daddy, when all I wanted was a damn happy meal…" she paused to make sure she had his full attention "…I know money Derek, and you certainly aren't the man you claim to be"

Actually feeling a little crestfallen that his charade had ended, Derek couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"Derek, you wanna know the reason I asked you out tonight? The reason I asked you out is that I needed to know if I was right about you…and it turns out I am"

Derek nodded resignedly to himself. "What gave it away?"

"Well, a few things. First off you looked terrified when the menu arrived. You ordered a beer, in this place. They probably had to blow the dust off that bottle before they handed it to you. You keep fidgeting with your tie like it's the first time you've ever wore one, you did it at the party too. You kept looking towards the kitchen to check if there would be more steak coming eventually. Oh, and The Matrix is a movie"

Derek slouched back in his seat, no reason to keep up the pretence any more. "Is that it? Wanna get any more digs in there while you're on a roll?"

Surprisingly, Jessica smiled a sexy and confident smile. "Yeah…and you haven't been able to keep your eyes off my dress all night, it's not polite to stare" she smirked behind her glass.

Derek looked at her, trying so hard to keep the 'busted' look off his face. "Okay, you got me. I'm not a software developer. I used that as a cover to crash that party where we met. I don't drive a Ferrari or wear Rolex watches. I drive a truck and wear a crappy Timex divers watch. I don't drink fine wines or eat somewhere as nice as this place every day. Jessica, I'm not rich, I don't have a trust fund, or an apartment in Beverley Hills. I'm just some bum who got lucky by hitting it off with a girl like you"

Jessica took a moment to consider his words. "Remember I said I wanted to see if I was right about you?"

"Yeah"

"Well I was, and you know what? I'm glad I was right"

Derek looked at her, slightly shocked.

"I said I grew up with people who thought that popularity was based on how much money they had. Well let me tell you something. Daddy is richer than all of them put together, and yet here I am talking to a bum like you…" she tentatively reached out a hand and laid it on top of his hand grasping his beer "…Derek, I don't care if you aren't rich or if you don't drive a sports car. I like you because you don't have all that, it means you're more likely to care about me than being preoccupied with how much you're gonna earn from this date. People with money have one big annoying trait. They usually have an overwhelming desire to have more money"

She lifted the bottle of beer from his hand and took a sip. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she slowly lowered the bottle and handed it back to him.

"Derek, I knew you weren't rich the first time you ran those calloused hands over my body…" she shook her head with a smirk "…If I hadn't enjoyed it, why would I have asked you here tonight?"

Derek shrugged and did his best not to smirk. "I guess it must be my animal magnetism or something" he answered with a grin.

She sat back in her chair and took a sip of her wine, trying oh so hard not to let him see her devilish grin.

"So tell me about yourself, the real Derek Baum this time, no lies okay" she flashed him an encouraging smile, hoping to coax the truth out of him.

"Yeah…" he scratched behind his head with a resigned look on his face "…well, I live in a small place in East L.A with my brother's widow and her three kids. I moved in about a year ago to help her out of a rough spot.

She smiled appreciatively. "Wow, such a gentleman, there must be something bad about you. You must have some sort of shady past" she grinned, but faltered slightly when she caught his pensive look.

Derek shrugged and took a sip of his beer to calm himself. "I didn't always crash corporate parties in search of beautiful women"

Jessica smiled shyly and took a sip of her wine to hide her slight blush. "Tell me about it" she asked sincerely.

"I said I live with my brother's widow…" he looked down towards the table where he turned his beer around in his hands "…He died fight…he died in the war. I didn't. Funny story right?" he asked with a sardonic grin.

Jessica for her part actually looked flustered for the first time that evening. "I, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No, you didn't. It's fine…" he gave his head a quick shake "…I just wanted you to understand why I don't usually open with that"

"How far back was it? I mean, I'm sorry, I'm doing it again aren't I?" she felt guilty for once again inadvertently putting her foot in her mouth.

"I guess it depends on who you ask…" the corner of Derek's lips quirked up in to a strange little smile "…To his son, a lifetime. To me? Seems like yesterday"

"Were you close? Your brother I mean?" she looked down and idly played with her napkin.

"I basically raised him…" Derek couldn't help but squirm uncomfortably, he wasn't used to opening up like this "…Best soldier I've ever seen"

Jessica, sensing his uncomfortableness, deftly changed the subject. "So tell me about your family…in law" she plastered on her best comforting smile.

"John and Cameron are seventeen, and just about as annoying as you'd imagine…" he rolled his eyes dramatically "…Amy is eight going on thirty five"

She couldn't help but smile at his description. "So are you their favourite 'Uncie Derek'?" she asked with a smirk.

Derek frowned, somewhat against his wishes. He shrugged it off however and took a sip of his beer. "Not exactly. John's a good kid, but he lacks focus. Cameron is…an automaton that lives in John's shadow most of the time. Amy decided a few days ago that it's her mission in life to drive me insane. So yeah, lots of fun"

"Ouch…" she said through a chuckle "…must be hard for poor Amy though, being the only girl with two boys, John and Cameron, must be tough for her"

"Cameron is actually a girl…" Derek smiled for the first time in a few minutes "…John's…twin sister"

"Oh. Sorry…" she blushed a little "…What about their mom? You said she went through some tough times?"

"Sarah is…Sarah…" he shrugged to cover his discomfort "…She took Kyle's death really hard. She's really protective of her kids and can be a little…intense"

"Intense how? She's not one of these angry at the world kind of women is she?"

"It's not really the world…just, all the people in it"

"Wow…" she examined him with a certain fondness in her eyes "…You're a good man Derek Baum"

"Not really…" he frowned, was he really going ahead with this? "…You want to know me, no bullshit?"

"Derek, I didn't ask about you because I wanted you to keep lying. If I was going to run away I'd have done it already and security would be throwing your bum ass out of here"

"Fair enough. Like I said, I didn't spend my time crashing corporate parties. Before I moved in with Sarah I wasn't the kind of guy you had drinks with. I spent most of the last ten years fighting non-stop. I've killed more than my fair share of people for reasons you probably wouldn't agree with even if you understood them"

She couldn't help but be unnerved by that statement. "So, you're a dangerous man?" she ventured.

Derek nodded with a sigh, he couldn't help but feel she was about ten seconds away from going through with her threat of calling for security. "Yeah, I am. I'm not exactly one hundred percent 'here' Jess. I had to stop myself from punching the valet twice, and when you snuck up behind me my first impulse was to fire off an elbow"

Jessica took a sip of her wine, all the time keeping her eyes locked on his. "So why didn't you?" she kept her eyes on him and flashed him a tiny smile.

"Because I could tell you weren't a threat…" Derek zoned out momentarily while he replayed the moment she entered in his head "…the clicking behind me meant high heels, you're wearing the same perfume you were the night we met, and frankly…" he ran an appreciative eye over her with a smile "…there's nowhere in that dress you could hide a gun"

All of a sudden, Derek felt a high heel clad slender foot run up the length of his lower leg. His eyes snapped up to find a seductive smile on her lips and a mischievous sparkle in her eye. "Good observations. I like a man who pays attention to a woman. So tell me, what would you do to me if I did sneak up on you? Surely a big strong guy like you wouldn't hurt little old me?" she fluttered her eyelashes playfully.

Derek couldn't help but squirm a little under her intense gaze while he struggled to maintain his train of thought. Derek really did like this girl, he wanted to make sure she knew exactly what she was getting in to if they carried on the way they were going. "I couldn't help it if you surprised me, Jess. You need to be careful. When you do what I do for as long as I have, the reactions come before you think about it…" Derek paused and frowned, seemingly deep in thought "…I could've broken your hand, wrist, and elbow before I even realised it was you"

Jessica hesitated as she considered his words. "Well, you didn't, I guess that's got to count in my favour right?" she asked with a smile.

"I just...don't want you to get hurt. Especially by me. So be careful, okay?"

"Careful how? What did they train you to do that made you so dangerous to everyone?"

"I was Tech-Com, 132nd S.O.C. Part of a forward recon brigade. Deep infiltration, sabotage of enemy production facilities and targeted demolition. Basically, they let us loose and told us to blow shit up"

She leaned forward in her seat "Uh huh, explosions, go on"

"Really?" Derek couldn't say he wasn't surprised "…you want to hear this?"

"Mmmhmmm" she propped her elbow on the table and laid her chin on her hand.

"Umm...okay…" he took a long swig of his beer while he considered how to word this without letting the wrong info slip "…Basically, Command would issue us a list of targets rated Alpha through Gamma priority. We would choose our own search patterns and target order, either gathering intelligence or if we had the opportunity, destroying the enemy facilities. If we got lucky, all we had to do was call in the target's co-ordinates for a bomb run. If we weren't lucky, which we usually weren't, then we"d have to find a way to destroy it ourselves"

"So what you're saying is you're a bad, bad man?" she flashed him a sexy smile and ran the tip of her finger around the rim of her glass.

"Well, yeah…" he couldn't help but smirk "…but only to other bad, bad men"

"Only?" she pouted for added effect.

Derek shrugged, he was trying to pull off the nonchalant look, but he fell just that little bit short due to the quiver in his voice. "I do have extensive training in... interrogation"

Jessica shivered a little with excitement. "So you're used to getting what you want from people?"

"Eventually…" he conceded, leaning back in his chair "…how much and how long is up to them"

"I can be very stubborn when I want to be" she leaned back, mimicking his posture.

"That's fine…" he smiled, wishing he hadn't shaved off his stubble as it would have made his upcoming look so much more dramatic, "…hostile subjects are always the most entertaining"

That was all it took for Jessica to finally snap. She picked up her glass of wine and drained the remaining liquid. Placing the glass down with a firm thud and grabbing his hand, she stood, toppling the chair in the process. She tugged him along behind her as she walked through the restaurant towards the exit. She spared a glance over her shoulder. "I can be _very_ stubborn"

"Shouldn't we... pay?" Derek asked as he was being pulled along behind her.

Just at that moment, a young waiter came bustling over to them.

"Uh, ma'am, the bill" he pointed out.

Jessica stopped in her tracks and turned to face the young man.

"You must be new here, Daddy has a tab" she left it at that and carried on towards the exit, stopping only to speak to the maitre d' "Where do you find these staff Lucas?"

"My apologies Miss Grey, enjoy your evening"

Derek watched and marvelled as his date effortlessly put down the snooty maitre d' who had treat him like dirt earlier. He kept his eyes locked on her until they were out on the street and her chauffeur was pulling the back door of her limousine open for her to climb in.

"That. Was. So. Hot"

She smirked over her shoulder as she climbed in to the back. Derek couldn't help but give the chauffeur a knowing smirk to which he replied with a disgusted shake of his head. Derek brushed it off and piled in to the limo anyway.

* * *

Not usually one to allow herself to sleep in, Sarah Connor drifted from the land of jumping sheep and pleasant dreams at a very un Sarah Connor like eleven AM. Her eyes fluttered open to find a soft light radiating from behind her closed drapes. For once, her dreams had been filled with pleasant thoughts, rather than the usual terrors of a post apocalyptic wasteland populated with hordes of Terminators that regularly haunted her nightmares.

Feeling surprisingly well rested, Sarah rolled over and examined her bedside alarm clock. With a quickness that belied her appearance, she leapt out of bed in a frenzy. Hastily throwing on the first set of clothes she could lay her hands on in the semi darkness, she cursed herself for sleeping in so late. She regularly 'woke up' around 6 AM each morning without fail, woke up being a figurative term, the fact being she rarely slept at all. So what was different today, and yesterday for that matter?

Realisation hit her as she was stumbling around her room with one leg in her pants.

_No, it couldn't be because of that…could it? No Sarah, it is not because of Amy's presence._

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she resumed her struggle with her pants.

_Dammit, how the hell does Cameron squeeze herself in to those tight jeans she wears? Does she like, roll them on?_

Lamenting her inability to perform a usually simple task, and quashing the slight hint of jealousy at the young cyborgs almost perfect physique, Sarah finally managed to force her leg through the hole in the bottom of the jeans. Quickly dashing out of her room and almost sprinting barefoot down the hallway, she descended the stairs practically at a gallop only to find that neither the world had ended nor the house had been burned down in her absence. Instead she found only her son and his protector sitting on the couch, looking quite cozy with John's laptop spread between their legs. They both looked up in unison at the sight of Sarah bundling her way down the staircase and staring at them breathlessly.

"Uh, mom, you alright?" John asked with a slight smirk.

Sarah looked at her son with a flabbergasted expression on her face. Seeing her son looking clean, well fed and generally just happy actually made her feel a little disappointed, then guilty at her disappointment. It seemed that her little baby boy was growing up.

"Uh, yeah. I'm gonna grab some coffee. You want anything?"

John arched an eyebrow at his mother's odd behaviour.

"No thanks mom, I'm good"

Sarah took a few paces towards the kitchen when a sudden thought occurred to her. She turned and totally out of the blue asked a question none of the rooms occupants were expecting.

"How about you Cameron? You want anything?"

Once again, both John and Cameron looked up in unison, this time however their expressions were markedly different. John seemed astounded and the tiniest hint of an appreciative smile graced Cameron's lips.

"No thank you Sarah. I'm good" she replied, mimicking John's response.

Sarah nodded and padded in to the kitchen to prepare her morning coffee. She could almost feel her son's eyes on her back and see his brow creased in confusion. She pulled her favourite cup out of the cupboard and switched on the coffeemaker and stood looking out of the kitchen window at the back garden. For some reason she found the overgrown lawn to be fascinating that morning. Perhaps it was the vision of her dreams still vivid in her memory. If any shrink ever got his hands on this one they'd have a field day and probably assemble a crack team of psychologists to examine her brain. So sparse were her good dreams that they were usually very surreal. Sarah Connor would never be seen skipping through a field in a white dress, she'd rather die than do that. So why did she do it in her dreams last night?

"I am so mowing that lawn today" she said to no one in particular.

As she finished pouring the steamy black liquid in to her cup, she heard the glorious sound of her son laughing. It was so rare these days that she made a point of savouring it every time it happened. She picked up her cup, not bothering with cream or sugar, too time consuming. She took a few short steps to the dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room and stealthily poked her head around the corner, just enough to observe John from behind cover. She watched him as his laughter died down. Evidently Cameron had a sense of humour, either that or John was laughing at her and not because of her. Sarah doubted that for some reason. The twinkle in her son's eye as he smiled and looked over at Cameron told her everything she needed to know. This wasn't just a physical thing with him.

While Sarah was not above admitting that Cameron appeared to most as a very, very attractive young girl, she had always hoped that John's obsession with her was not based on a purely physical attraction. Now as she watched him watch her with a genuine fondness, she felt a slight pang of fear hit. That was until she saw Cameron's face. She knew that Cameron was able to almost perfectly mimic human expressions and emotions, but this seemed different, more somehow. As far as she knew, Cameron wasn't aware of her presence. There was no reason to fake anything, no reason to blend in, no reason to smile. Yet there she was, grinning like a Cheshire cat at some comment she'd made and the reaction it garnered from John.

As Cameron turned back to look at the laptop, Sarah watched as her son, still smiling, leaned over and placed an affectionate kiss on her cheek. Cameron's smile grew and if anything she snuggled closer to John. Such a human and girly reaction, but Sarah was under no illusions that her son was in love with this machine. After all, why would he be destined to marry her if he didn't love her?

Sarah ducked back around the dividing wall and cleared her throat loudly to give them ample warning she was coming before emerging fully from behind the wall with her coffee in hand. She walked over and took a seat in the chair opposite them. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence and both John and Cameron pretending she wasn't there and that they weren't snuggled so close, Sarah couldn't take it any more and just came right out with it.

"Are you two a couple?"

"Yes Sarah, there are two of us" Cameron looked over at John with a 'has your mother finally lost it?' expression on her face.

Sarah just calmly sipped on her coffee and ignored her comment, instead choosing to focus on her suddenly guilty as hell looking son. "John, are you a couple?"

"Well…" John hesitated "…I suppose it would depend on your definition of 'couple'.

Sarah merely stared impatiently at him. "Are you having sex with Cameron? That defined enough for you?"

_No point in denying it now Johnny Boy._

"Um, yeah" John subconsciously shuffled away from Cameron a little and felt his cheeks turn bright red, earning himself a confused head tilt from Cameron.

"Okay…" her face worked it's way in to a frown "…I appreciate you being honest. How long?"

"Well actually um..."

Cameron chose that exact moment to join in the conversation. "Thirty six hours and fifteen minutes"

Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose. "I think I would have preferred a vague answer there, Cameron"

"It was an important occasion. Our first time" she reasoned while smiling at a cringing John.

Sarah took a long, deep breath to steady herself, not totally blind to the fact John is already embarrassed. "And this…" motioning between them "…how long had it been going on before your 'first time'?"

John shuffled in his seat awkwardly. "Um, I guess since just after Amy arrived. She kinda...told us a few things"

She grumbled to herself. "You're not the only one"

"Dammit John!" she stopped and closes her eyes for a second to calm down, making it a point to lower her voice "John, when were you planning to tell me this was going on behind my back?"

"Mom, it's not like we were sneaking around...well maybe we were a little. It's just that I didn't know how you'd take it...I still don't know how you're gonna take it"

She folded her arms over her chest, finally finding a very familiar 'mom' argument to go with. "And it never occurred to you that I might be a little more reasonable if you'd come to me like a man rather than running around behind my back and me finding out about it later?"

John's face scrunched up in obvious confusion. "Are you serious? I'm surprised you're not getting the thermite for her and the scalpel for me" he said in a deadly serious tone.

Sarah couldn't help but frown, thinking back to her altecation with Amy. "Would it do any good if I was?"

John smiled humourlessly. "I don't think Cameron appreciates thermite"

"No, I don't" she chimed in with her 'scary robot face' in place.

"Which is why we're all here having a friendly conversation…" she eyed them both like it should have been obvious "…I may not like this, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to make you choose between us John"

John looked a little stunned at her insight. "Good. So...what does this mean now? Are you mad?"

"Well, yeah John! You lied to me…" she shook her head "…BOTH of you"

Cameron spoke up. "I didn't lie. You didn't ask"

John couldn't help but facepalm at her reasoning. "That's not what she meant Princess"

One of Sarah's eyebrows drifted slightly higher of it's own accord. "Princess?"

John's cheeks turned impossibly redder at his slip. "Um yeah, anyway..."

Sarah looked at Cameron "You let him call you Princess?"

Cameron gave her customary small smile. "It's his 'pet name' for me" she stated as if it was totally obvious and a perfectly acceptable thing to happen.

Deciding to leave the talk about demeaning pet names for a less stressful occasion, Sarah ploughed on. "So, how many recon missions have you two blown off to make out? Do I even want to know?"

"Come on mom, it's not like we've been going at it like rabbits" realising what he'd just said, John buried his face deeper in to his hand.

"Yes, we've always put the mission first" Cameron confirmed.

"Oh, like you were focusing on the mission while you were having sex at Weaver's?" she crossed her arms over her chest smugly and stared at John "…you should really teach her not to give the exact time with questions like that"

John looked sidelong at Cameron, remembering that night. "Yeah, I guess we got a little distracted on that one" despite the situation he couldn't help but smirk.

"See John…" she shook her head "…this is why this is dangerous! You're a teenager, and when sex gets involved your brain just stops working!"

"Hey, I'd done the hard work. I had to sit listening to Cromartie Henry for like 6 hours. Anyway, it's not like I've totally lost sight of what we need to do" he argued.

"Okay…" feeling slightly put in her place, she nodded "…you did your job"

"What about her?" she locked eyes with Cameron "…you were in the field, alone with John. You could have been the only thing standing between him and Skynet if Weaver had turned on him. Does that seem like a…" she paused for emphasis "…logical time to have sex?"

Cameron tilted her head in confusion. "I believe I was close enough to protect him in the event of an attack...I couldn't get much closer than..."

The next thing they both knew they heard John coughing and spluttering beside her. Cameron reached out a hand to rub his back which only seemed to make it worse for some reason.

After letting out a long sigh, Sarah continued "The point is that this is a distraction. Apparently for both of you, which I can't for the life of me understand"

"Why? What's so hard to understand? I...we..." John hesitated for a second while he considered the correct words "…we care about each other"

"Wait…" she held up a hand "…John, I don't doubt for a second that you're in love with Cameron. Why do you think I told her to keep her clothes on when she first arrived? A blind man could see the way you look at her"

She pressed on before he could get his hopes up. "But do you honestly expect me to believe she feels the same way?"

"Okay, first of all…" John replied, getting a little defensive "…It's not just a physical thing alright, lets get that straight for a start. Second, does she feel the same way? I guess you'd have to ask her. There are three people in this discussion right?"

"Fine…" that seemed reasonable to her, she turned to Cameron "…do you love my son?"

Cameron lowered her head slightly and looked if anything a little ashamed. John realised his mistake after remembering their discussion about love right before they had sex for the first time, she doesn't know love yet.

"I care for John. I would die to protect him" she answered, not particularly wanting to get in to this any more than John did.

"John..." she sighed, trying to think of words for things like this wasn't exactly a Sarah Connor strong suit "…I'm trying to be supportive. Can't you see that? But you're in love with her, I can see it. You two have slept together! What is it going to do to you if she can't return those feelings?"

John paused for a moment to consider her words, looking over to see Cameron looking decidedly unhappy about all this, John replied. "You know what mom, that's something for us to work through together...and we will"

Feeling pretty defiant, John snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him.

Sarah's face dropped in resignation. "John... no matter how much you loved him, the T-800... Uncle Bob, could never cry"

"He didn't have to"

Cameron chimed in. "Sarah, I don't know if you'll ever truly understand our relationship. But that's not what we're asking. I believe all John is seeking is your acceptance"

She looked back and forth between the pair, eventually settling on John, seeking to at least reign his anger back in. "It's been brought to my attention I don't have much choice in the matter. How would you... like me to handle this, John? How should I treat Cameron, now?"

John looked at her, a little stunned at her acceptance. "Uh, well, she's my girlfriend, how about we start with that?"

"I can accept that she's your girlfriend…" she nodded, almost as if trying to convince herself "…I'm willing to go that far. Cameron, is this what you want?"

"I'd like things to be different than they are now" she replied, somewhat cryptically.

Sarah looked at John a little exasperated. "Does she do this to irritate me or does she never give you a straight answer either?"

John chuckled for the first time in a while. "It's part of the reason I like her, so mysterious"

"I guess I'll take that as a 'yes' then, Cameron…" she frowned "…no moving in together…" she grumbled to herself "…I'm not that understanding"

John stared at her incredulously. "What?"

"I thought that was pretty clear, John…" she took up her 'not budging' posture "…you each have your own rooms, it stays that way"

"But moooommm" he whined.

"Little tip John…" she smirked a little in amusement but quickly covered it up "…when trying to convince your mother you're mature enough to share a room with your girlfriend, whining like a 6 year old doesn't help your case"

John pouted and folded his arms across his chest. "Any more rules?" he asked disappointedly.

"Since you asked..." the corner of her lips twitched up almost automatically, her face clearly taking on the 'I'm not only going to make you uncomfortable, but I'm going to enjoy it' look John had feared since he was a child "…you two are sexually active, obviously. Are you being safe?"

John turned purple from embarrassment. "What? Come on mom, it's not like we could catch something or she could get pregnant…" he looked sidelong at Cameron "…can you?"

"Oh, isn't this nice?" she glowered "…you see what I mean about your brain not working?"

Cameron looked at him and answered. "No, I can't get pregnant or transmit diseases…" she smiled sweetly "…you're safe"

"But he didn't know that!" she argued with a shake of her head "…I taught you to be smarter than that, John"

"So…" she eyed Cameron "…are you his girlfriend or his bodyguard?"

Cameron returned her look with practiced ease. "Both, protector first, then girlfriend"

"Fine…" nodding to herself, a plan brewing in her head "…you've officially got a bedtime. After your nightly patrol, you go to bed, YOUR bed. I'll be along to make sure you find your way" she said with a barely contained grin.

"I know the way to my room. We've lived here for a year…" she deadpanned with a tilt of her head "…why would I need you to show me?" she failed to notice John frantically shaking his head.

"It's a figure of speech…" she smiled a sickeningly sweet smile "…it's a nice way of saying that I'll be verifying your whereabouts"

"Oh, thank you for explaining…" she frowned in realisation "…but how are we to continue our relationship if I'm in a different room than john?"

"Hey, I'm just following the rules…" she motioned to John "…he wants me to treat you like his girlfriend. John's a teenager, living in his mother's house"

John, from behind his hand spoke up. "She wants to stop us having sex Cameron. At least not in her house"

"I'm impressed, your brain hasn't completely shut down yet…" Sarah said with a smirk and a shake of her head "…no making out on my couch either, I don't need to see that. I'm sure Derek would appreciate it if you kept it out of his truck too…" she frowned "…he's very protective of that truck"

"Yeah, we've noticed…" he finally emerged from behind the cover of his hand "…so, no sex, no making out. Is there anything we _can_ do to further our relationship?"

With a sigh, Sarah looked at her son with a patient expression. "…I didn't say you couldn't take her out, did I?"

Cameron replied. "But I thought I had a bedtime now. Do hotel beds count?"

"See…" she responded with a glare "…I remember saying YOUR bed"

She turned to John. "I thought she had a perfect memory?"

John groaned and hid behind his hand again.

"I will obey your rules Sarah. I will stay in my bed. We will not make out on the couch or in Derek's truck. We will be safe at all times" Cameron stated monotonously.

"Well...good…" she nodded, a little surprised they gave in so easily. in fact, suspiciously surprised "…like I said, you two can go on dates, but the old rules apply. I want to know where you'll be and when you'll be back. Both of you keep your phones on you at all times…and Cameron…" she figured at least the cyborg would agree with her on this much "…I'm trusting you to make sure that this new... development doesn't interfere with John's training and preparation"

She paused and then repeated. "I'm trusting you Cameron"

"Thank you Sarah. I appreciate your trust. I'll ensure John's safety...and John will ensure mine" she smiled at John, seemingly satisfied with this new development.

With a nod, Sarah slouched back in her chair and looked at John. "Well, seeing as it's almost midday, why don't you make your old momma some lunch?" she asked with a good natured smile.

John, thankful for the opportunity to simply get out of the room literally jumped at the opportunity. "Uh, turkey sandwich okay for you?"

Knowing it was pretty much all the boy was good at making, she smiled and nodded. "Hey, c'mere" she beckoned him over to her and puled him down towards her. She placed a kiss on his cheek when he leaned down and pulled him in to a warm hug.

Turning an even deeper shade of red, John smiled appreciatively and trotted in to the kitchen. Sarah watched as Cameron's eyes followed his back out of the room.

"I'll go help" she said while moving to stand.

"Wait…" Sarah held up her hand to halt her movements. Just at that moment, a pissed off looking Amy trudged through the living room destined for the front door without a word or even a symbol of acknowledgement to the rooms other occupants.

With a sad sigh, Sarah watched Amy disappear for her daily patrol and turned back to face Cameron who bore a similarly concerned expression.

"Cameron…" she started when the cyborg cut her off abruptly.

"I thought we all had an agreement, Sarah? Shouldn't John be here if we're going to discuss..."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Relax girlie, I need to ask you a question"

"I promised we would be safe" she replied with her cyborg mask in place.

"No it's not that, it's..."

Cameron cut her off again.

"John rarely initiates physical contact on the couch, it shouldn't be a problem"

"Would you shut up!" she glared a little, annoyed with the constant interrupions.

Cameron frowned. "But you said you needed to ask me question. That usually requires a verbal response"

Sarah sighed impatiently. "What the hell does John see in you? Now listen, this is about Amy"

With a nod, Cameron replied. "Amy doesn't initiate physical contact with John on the couch either"

"God dammit. Shut up and listen to my question, don't answer me until I'm finished. Understood?"

Cameron stood, silent and unmoving.

"Well, do you understand?" Sarah asked, growing increasingly impatient.

Still nothing.

She stared at her confused for a second. "That wasn't my question by the way, you can respond to that one...and then shut up. Do you understand?"

"I understand…" she looked at Sarah a little perturbed "…it's not a difficult concept"

Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose, her poor nose would be sore after this morning. "Cameron, you know Amy probably better than anyone. How...I mean what..." she sighed, trying to come up with the correct words "…what does she like to do? What does she enjoy?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Cameron answered. "She enjoys annoying Lieutenant Reese quite a lot"

"Well yeah, we all know that. I meant what does she like to do for fun, what cheers her up besides annoying Derek?"

After taking a short time to think about it and with her head tilting to the side, she replied. "She likes to play with things"

"Things?" she asked, clearly confused.

"Yes, dolls, stuffed animals, other children"

"Other children? Who?"

"Savannah Weaver is a preferred playing partner. I believe they 'hit it off' when they met"

"So she spends time with other kids?"

"Yes…" obviously unsure what part of this is giving Sarah trouble, Cameron clarified herself "…she likes to play"

"I see. Um, thank you Cameron" she smiled, a little uncomfortably it had to be said.

"Can I see John now?" Cameron asked, feeling just as uncomfortable "…or is that in violation of the rules?

"Yes you can, go, just remember the rest of the rules okay?"

"I will follow them to the letter" Cameron walked towards the kitchen with a small smile gracing her lips.

Sarah eyed her back suspiciously. "Good" she said to no one before wandering off to find Amy.

* * *

**Huuuuuuuuge props to Dekardkain for providing me with an eerily descriptive insight in to Derek's love life and history and for generally just having an awesome input in to this story :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys,**

**Thanks to reviewers olischulu, Steel_Dragon_64, TCandBTVSluver, ElusiveSanity, kaotic2, darkfinder, Lariun, lee443, LoT56, Sasha Starr, XxDeathStarxX, CloudyShadows, Dragon_Seraphin, EvilTheLast and Nyrki.**

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For once in her life, Sarah appreciated being the Terminator hunter for a change, if only for a short while. Amy certainly was elusive. She'd only walked out of the door less than two minutes ago to start her patrol and yet Sarah could find no signs of her. While it was true that she could take any shape she wanted, Sarah also knew that the enigma that was Amy always preferred to remain in her little girl form, as evidenced by her unhappy grumbling when forced to mimic the back seat of Derek's truck.

After a complete sweep of the surrounding area of the house, Sarah's attention was distracted by a squeak of metal on metal. She halted her movements so she could listen. There it was again, and again. Every second or so, the sound of rusted metal squeaking against more metal. Given that Terminators didn't rust, Sarah ventured towards the sound not quite knowing what to expect. She rounded the back of the house, following the noise as it grew louder. Eventually she came to the overgrown back garden that she'd made a pact with herself to mow today. Giving the area a cursory once over and instinctively checking her angles of entry, Sarah stepped further on to the lawn and locked in on the sound coming from the far end, furthest from the house.

Long neglected, the location of the sound was shrouded in overhanging tree branches and untamed shrubbery. Sarah felt like Alice heading down the rabbit hole with every step she took. She'd never ventured this far in to the garden, preferring of course to remain near the house on the odd occasion she did venture out. She had no doubts that both Cameron and Amy had scouted the perimeter in detail, but Sarah had never felt the need to explore.

Using the back of her hand to push a branch out of her way and to hold it back to prevent it slapping her in the face, Sarah pressed forward through the relative wilderness. The squeaking was right on top of her. She rounded a naturally formed corner and discovered the source of the noise, an old rusted swing set. Of course, the kids bedrooms. They must have set up this area for their kids and it was simply forgotten about when the previous occupants moved out. Sarah's eyes trailed all along the rusted metal frame and down the chains of the one seat that was swinging. Her heart clenched when she saw a small eight year old blond girl perched forlornly on the plastic seat, gently swinging as if it brought her some small comfort.

Amy looked up from her apparent inspection of her hands and saw Sarah standing over her with a concerned expression on her face. Without a word, Amy looked away and grabbed hold of the chains either side of her head and stared straight in to the dark trees ahead. Why anyone would set up this slightly scary area for kids to play in was something of a mystery to Sarah, the surrounding area was the stuff of nightmares as far as she was concerned.

Sarah, still in bare feet carefully padded around to the other side of Amy and took a seat gingerly on the spare swing. Lowering herself down slowly, she made sure that the seat would take her weight before allowing herself to sink down on to it properly. She looked to her left to find Amy staring at her, as if her behaviour was somehow fascinating. At Sarah's look however, Amy turned her head to stare straight ahead again. Sarah matched her gaze and lifted her feet up off the ground a couple of inches and allowed herself to swing gently. Sarah couldn't help but smile at the small sense of childlike joy it brought her, after all, who didn't enjoy a child's swing set, whether they were willing to admit it or not.

"What do you want Sarah?" Amy asked, out of the blue and in a commanding tone.

The unusually harsh voice startled Sarah a little. Amy's usually sweet and soft voice was replaced by a voice she recognised very well. The voice of someone deeply troubled and upset. Whether it was a human or lately a machine voice she couldn't help but recognise it as something akin to her own over the last eighteen years.

"I just um…are you alright? You haven't said a word since the desert" she asked, concern deeply laced in her voice.

Amy turned towards Sarah and fixed her with her patented 'come on, seriously?' look.

"Why do you care?" Amy asked while looking ahead and in a distinctly unpleasant tone.

Sarah hesitated, she didn't really know why she cared, all she knew was that she did. She had to admit, she didn't know when she started caring about this little machine, but one thing she knew was that seeing her this miserable made herself miserable as a result. Sarah reached out and twirled the end of one of Amy's pigtails around her finger, earning herself a shrug and a glare from Amy.

Sighing, Sarah settled her hand back on the chain of her swing. "I don't know why I care. To be honest it scares me that I do. But…you were nice to me when I was sad, so, I'm trying to be nice to you"

Wow, now Sarah was surprised by her own tenderness concerning Amy. For her part, Sarah went beet red as Amy turned to face her with a sceptical look on her face. Not saying anything, she merely arched an eyebrow and turned back to face nothing again.

"Look, all I know is that something's bothering you. Are you going to tell me what it is?"

Shaking her head defiantly, Amy abruptly stood and made to leave the small clearing they were in. "No" she said over her shoulder.

"Amy, wait" Sarah said, standing up to follow her out from under the trees. She pushed her way out the way she came in, cursing under her breath about overgrown shrubbery. She caught up to her in the relative garden of eden that was their lawn and placed a hand on her shoulder to halt her determined march towards the house. Amy felt the contact and shrugged her off again, stopping to glare up at Sarah dangerously as she did.

"What?" Amy asked, quite clearly not happy about anything this morning.

Taken aback by her outburst, Sarah steeled herself. "Let me do something to cheer you up" she offered.

Amy's face almost involuntarily changed to one of delight for the briefest moment before she remembered she was supposed to be upset. Her face reverted to its sour mask, but it was enough for Sarah to know she was on to something.

"No, I don't need cheering up, I'm fine" Amy replied as she stomped off towards the house again.

Smiling to herself, Sarah nonchalantly followed. "Fine, but I need to go out later. I might be going somewhere very dangerous…" she smirked, and it came through in her voice "…I might need protecting"

Amy stopped in her tracks, was Sarah really going down this route?

"Take Cameron with you" she reasoned, not taking another step forward just yet.

Sarah scoffed. "Oh please, she'll be too busy screwing my son's brains out to come with me…" she paused and smirked "…I guess I'll just have to go alone"

Despite her desire to mope some more, she couldn't defy her self appointed mission. She turned to face a deadly serious looking Sarah.

Releasing a very human sounding sigh, Amy tilted her head to the side. "Where are we going?"

* * *

_What in the hell just happened?_

As John stood at the kitchen counter making a turkey sandwich almost on autopilot, he let his mind wander. Invariably it wandered to the conversation he'd just been a part of with Cameron and his mother. It was almost surreal to him, as was the way he'd wandered out to the kitchen, pulled out the ingredients and started on the sandwich. For all he knew he could be putting slices of raw bacon on the bread instead of the turkey he'd intended. As the conversation turned over and over in his mind, he didn't hear Cameron and her cat like approach as he sliced through the sandwich with a large knife.

"John"

"Dammit"

He pulled his hands away from what he was doing and caught sight of the blood trickling from about half way up his left index finger. In his daze, the shock of her entrance had caused him to slip and slice in to his finger by accident. He dropped the knife and immediately stuffed the side of his finger in his mouth in a vain effort to stop the bleeding. Cameron meanwhile had sauntered over to him as if nothing was amiss. She examined the situation and reached up to take his finger out of his mouth. She grabbed a nearby towel to dry his finger off before placing the pad of her thumb over the wound.

"What are you doing?" he asked, obviously unsure as to what she was doing.

She responded by pressing down on the wound with a vice like grip, so hard in fact that the tip of his finger turned white, it felt like his bones were about to snap.

"Applying pressure…hold still"

John nodded while trying not to wince in obvious discomfort. After a few moments, she removed her thumb and examined the wound. As blood flow began to return to his finger, she was satisfied that she'd stopped the bleeding. John tilted his finger to admire her handiwork and he had to admit, that was the fastest he'd ever seen bleeding stemmed. He watched as she reached in to the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a med kit. John held out his finger as she placed a bandaid on it and secured it. To his surprise and delight, she placed a tiny kiss over the bandaid and smiled at him. There were a few ways of making John feel like a kid again that he actually appreciated, and this was one of them.

He leaned back on the counter as he watched Cameron put the supplies away. As he was admiring her bending over to put the kit back under the sink, Amy walked in through the back door closely followed by his mother. One looked happy and the other looked pissed off, for once it wasn't the way you'd expect. Amy practically stomped right through the house, not stopping to acknowledge anyone as she made her way out of the front door, closing it behind her with a slam. Sarah meanwhile hovered around, at least taking the time to give a curt nod Cameron's way and walk over to her son. She took immediate notice of the bandaid on his finger and lifted it up to inspect it closer.

"What happened?" there was no accusation, or threat of her taking her wrath out on something, just an inquiry.

"Oh, uh, I cut myself making your sandwich, Cameron took care of it"

Sarah looked past him to the sandwich.

"Oh yeah. You have it, I'm not all that hungry. We're heading out, be back later…"

She leaned forward and kissed John on his forehead.

"…Remember my rules okay" she warned with a glance in Cameron's direction.

"Yes, mother" John rolled his eyes, much to Sarah's annoyance and she had to admit, slight amusement.

John watched Sarah walk away and out of the house before his eyes settled on Cameron who had silently observed the entire mother son exchange. She tilted her head inquisitively, letting John know there was something she either didn't understand or wanted clarifying.

"What?" he enquired.

She took a couple of steps forward to close the gap between them.

"You mother isn't eating well" she observed.

John, rather surprisingly and spontaneously reached out and pulled her in to a hug. She flowed in to his arms and laid her head on his shoulder, confused as to the meaning behind the hug, but willing to accept it anyway. John laid his chin on her head and stroked her back. Just why he'd felt the sudden need to hug her he didn't know, he just knew he wanted her in his arms.

"I know…" he said with his chin still resting on her head "…I've known for a while"

Hearing the slight quiver in his voice, Cameron chose not to pursue the subject. Instead she tugged him closer and held him tighter for a long few moments. She felt John shift his head so his cheek was laying on top of her head. Seeking to lighten his mood, she changed the subject with an out of the blue question.

"John, when are you going to take me out?"

Despite his train of thought, John chuckled at the non sequitur.

"What?"

"The last time you took me out was several weeks ago, and I recall that you ruined the date by asking me about the future"

John pulled back from the hug to look at her with a highly confused expression.

"Yeah, I remember…" John's brow knit together in confusion "…You mean you want to go out on a date again?"

"Yes" she replied, unsure as to the reason why she wouldn't.

"But, why? It's not like you enjoyed the last time" he reasoned.

Cameron pulled back from the hug and separated from him properly.

"I did enjoy it up until you spoiled it. Besides, we're a couple now, I believe we should partake in couple like activities"

"Well, yeah. I guess I just thought that going on dates wasn't really your thing"

She shrugged, a very human gesture she'd been picking up a lot of lately.

"I don't particularly, but you said you wanted me to partake in everything a relationship had to offer. You were referring to sex, but why shouldn't I experience everything else?"

Sound reasoning John thought, he was still just a little surprised she actually wanted to be taken out. But then again, she'd already dragged him shopping several times, as far as he was concerned they may as well already have been married.

"Alright, I'll uh, I'll take you out some time. Go see a movie or something" he said, nodding more to convince himself than her.

"When?" she asked, looking more eager than he anticipated.

"Um, I dunno, some time. To be honest I'm surprised mom's even letting us out on dates. Do you think those rules were a little harsh?"

Cameron took a step forward, stood on her tip toes and kissed him lightly on the lips. She sank back down and smiled sweetly at him.

John frowned at her sudden actions, confused as to what she was thinking.

"What was that for?" he asked warily.

She leaned forward again, this time putting her lips close to his ear.

"All rules can be bent John" she whispered huskily, her breath tickling his ear lobe.

John watched as she turned on her heel and walked away from him towards the stairs. She chose to walk in a way that seemed to accent her features perfectly. The skin tight jeans helped too. John followed behind her like an obedient little puppy, almost tripping over a chair leg on his way. He just about caught up to her when they reached the bottom step. Just as his hand reached out, almost of its own accord to do a little exploring, the front door opened and he found himself suddenly behind a very alert looking Cameron. He peered out from behind her to find a very happy with himself looking Derek, casually walking in and looking around.

Derek's eyes eventually found the slightly comical sight of John looking rather flushed and Cameron looking like she was ready to rip someones head off.

"Um, hi?" he said, not quite sure what to make of the scene before him.

John made his way past his girlfriend, slightly embarrassed at being caught, not in the act, but the way he was sure they looked would have suggested that was what was happening.

"Hey Derek…" he greeted, trying to look and sound nonchalant "…what brings you here? Haven't seen you around in a while"

Now it was Derek's turn to look a little uncomfortable. He plunged his hands in to his pockets and shuffled from one foot to the other.

"I've, uh, been busy. Anyway, um…" oh how Derek didn't want to ask the next question "…Do you know where, um…Amy is?"

Cameron tilted her head.

John almost collapsed.

Both understandable reactions to Derek's question. For him to be asking the whereabouts of his little metal nemesis was unthinkable. The little girl who'd made it her mission to annoy him, the fact that she was metal was almost secondary in that regard.

Seeing that John was in no state to speak, Cameron spoke with her head still tilted inquisitively.

"She left with Sarah a few minutes ago. Why do you wish to know where she is?"

Derek rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously and averted his eyes like an embarrassed little schoolboy.

"I uh, just wanted to ask her something" he said, trying not to glance at a bemused looking John.

"What did you wish to ask her? Perhaps I could help" Cameron asked with a hint of a smile.

"Uh, no, it's fine. Do you know when they'll be back?" Derek did his best not to stutter, why did she have to be gone? The one time he actually needed the help of metal and he ends up with the wrong one.

"Sarah said they'll be back later, she didn't specify when"

"Oh, okay then. I uh, needed to work on my truck anyway. Sarah has some tools in the garage and I uh, I'll just uh, be out there. You know, if you need me" he said, clearly trying to put a brave face on his mission to find Amy and to cover his disappointment at not being able to find her. Now he'd have to wait to find out if his suspicions were true, something which might not be able to wait.

"Wouldn't have to fix the damn thing if it weren't for her anyway…" he grumbled to himself as he turned away.

"Very well" Cameron said with a nod as she watched Derek walk out of the house the way he came in. She turned to John who had remained oddly quiet through the whole conversation.

"What, the hell, was that about? Since when has Derek even acknowledged Amy's existence, never mind wanted to talk to her?" John asked, quite clearly baffled at Derek's strange behaviour.

"I don't know. But I do believe we were in the middle of something" she said with a tiny smile as she brushed past him and walked up the stairs.

John followed, still in somewhat of a daze about the whole crazy day he was having.

* * *

Wow, amazing, that gets better every time. Admittedly, they'd only done it three times, but damn, that girl knew how to make him feel good. As John lay back, breathing heavily with his fingers idly stroking Cameron's side, he couldn't help but wonder if it was pre-programmed or if she just learned and improved based on his reactions.

"You know, mom would throw a fit if she knew we just broke her rules like half an hour after she laid them out for us right?"

He chuckled as she draped an arm and a leg over him.

"Technically we didn't break any rules John" she replied as she settled in to a position that she was sure wouldn't hurt him.

"How do you figure that?" he asked with a frown, he was pretty sure they'd just violated all of Sarah's new rules.

"Sarah said I had a bedtime, and that I had to be in my own bed, not yours by a certain time…" she looked up at him and fixed him with her 'I'm deadly serious' stare "…It's day time, and we're in my bed. We haven't broken any rules"

John couldn't help but smirk. He pinched her side playfully before snuggling her in closer.

"Well aren't you a devious little thing. I wondered why you agreed to her terms so quickly"

She actually looked offended.

"I'm not devious…" she said defensively "…like I said, we didn't break any rules. I wouldn't like to irritate Sarah any more than is required…she was surprisingly understanding about us" she said, sounding deep in thought.

She was right and John knew it. At the time he was totally surprised and shell shocked that Sarah Connor had basically said she was okay with her son, the saviour of humanity, sleeping with a machine designed and programmed to kill him. It didn't make any sense. Either she'd finally flipped and needed to be carted back to Pescadero, or something had changed her mind about Cameron. He had a sneaking suspicion he owed Amy a thank you card on that one. Since she'd came back his mom certainly had seemed to lighten up and take a back seat more to his decisions. It was almost as if she'd finally realised that they were never going to stop Judgement Day and had decided to allow him to take the lead like he was one day supposed to.

Letting him Leave with Cameron to meet with John Henry and Weaver was proof of that. The old Sarah Connor would probably have followed them with enough C4 to make even Derek blush. But now it seemed like for once in his life she was ready to let him go and finally start trusting him, even though she would always be his mother and as such felt it was her responsibility to embarrass the living hell out of him with their little chat. Laying down those rules like that and asking him if they were being safe made John feel like he was five years old again, but deep down he knew it was born out of her never ending concern for his safety and wellbeing. At the end of the day she was still his mother and still loved him, even if she had a hard time letting her baby boy go.

Apparently he'd been pondering and thinking about it for so long that his hand had stopped its movement up and down Cameron's side. Apparently she was enjoying the small gesture as she took immediate notice when he stopped.

"John? What's wrong?" she asked, concern apparent in her tone.

Sighing, John resumed his comforting movement, this time using only one fingertip to idly draw from her hip up to the swell of her breast and back down again.

"I dunno, I guess I'm just thinking about this whole situation with mom. I guess I'm a little worried about her" he shrugged to emphasise his point.

"Why? She has accepted our relationship…" she hesitated "…I thought that's what you wanted?"

Sensing the unease at her last statement, John pulled her closer to him in an attempt to reassure her.

"It is what I wanted, I love you, I want to be with you…"

"Then what is it?" she asked, feeling better with his reassurance.

He paused for a moment as he realised the gravity of what he was thinking.

"I'm all she's ever had. With Judgement Day coming up, and now this, me and you, Weaver and John Henry. I think she's just a little lost. It's almost like she doesn't have anything to focus on at the minute…" he paused as his voice faltered slightly "…I'm worried about her"

Cameron didn't quite know how to respond to that. She felt it was sound reasoning on his part. From what she knew of Sarah Connor from her own personal experiences with the woman and from the stories told to her by future John, Cameron had her own concerns about her. The fact that she hadn't indeed immediately reached for the thermite when she learned the truth about her son's new relationship was indeed a source of great confusion for Cameron. Still, seeking to reassure her John like he'd done for her a moment ago, she dropped a small kiss on his chest and recalled an earlier conversation.

"I think your mother will be fine. I believe Amy is helping her in that regard"

Johns brow creased in confusion, so much so that he once again stopped the movement of his fingers.

"How so?"

Huffing in annoyance at the lack of contact, Cameron laid her chin on his chest and looked up at him.

"Sarah asked me a question earlier about Amy. She asked what she likes to do for fun, how to cheer her up. I don't recall Sarah ever asking about what I like to do for fun. I believe Sarah is more fond of Amy than she is willing to admit"

John chuckled "Yeah, I guess she does kinda like her. Like the little sister I never had"

A sudden thought occurred to John.

"So, are you okay with how all this turned out? I just thought you were kinda nervous through all of that" he asked, resuming his tender ministrations.

Cameron laid her head back down on his chest and allowed it to rise and fall in time with his breathing, taking an odd sense of pleasure in it.

"Sarah Connor's acceptance is important to our relationship, without it, I'm not sure how we would have continued"

"We'd have found a way…" he said, sounding more confident in that statement than he actually was "…right?"

"I'm not so sure. What Sarah wants, Sarah usually gets. If she'd said no, I believe we'd have had no choice but to break off our relationship"

John looked down at her incredulously.

"Really, after all that we've…after I…told you I love you?"

She smiled against his chest and kissed him, running her hand over his chest again.

"No, I was joking. You really are too gullible John, we'll need to work on that" she deadpanned.

John meanwhile flapped his jaw while attempting to make sounds. Apparently unable to accomplish that simple task, he settled for allowing his head to slump back down on to the pillow and tangled his fingers in her soft hair.

He couldn't help but wonder where she got her sense of humour from, because it certainly was wicked and growing even more so all the time. He also considered what else was developing with his girlfriend. Her emotional range was certainly growing, as were her 'instincts' on how to please him. If only he had that ability. To the best of his recollection, she didn't scream his name in pleasure, or snap the headboard in half. Sure she'd shivered, smiled, and even let out the occasional moan. But somehow it wasn't enough for him.

"John, are you alright?" Cameron asked as she shifted her head on his chest.

"I'm fine…" he replied "…so, did you um…was it uh…"

_Suck it up John._

"…Was that any better for you?" he asked, suddenly overcome with embarrassment.

Laying a gentle kiss on his skin and running her fingertips through his chest hair, Cameron looked up at him and smiled warmly.

"I enjoyed certain aspects more. The increased duration and speed of movements were certainly more stimulating than before"

"Anything else?" he asked, encouraged by two things, first his ability to last longer, and second that she took increased enjoyment out of it.

She paused her movements to consider his question for a moment.

"I enjoyed that new position we tried. I believe it was called do…" she didn't get a chance to finish her statement as John cut her off.

"Awesome, so you think we're on the right track?" he asked while blushing.

Confused by his embarrassment over her words considering they were both lying naked tangled in the sheets, Cameron nodded against his chest and answered.

"Yes, I believe that my increased pleasure is a direct result of the increased pace"

John smiled, apparently he was heading in the right direction in his mission to bring Cameron to orgasm. Now if only he could work out a way of increasing his pace while lasting longer, he'd be golden. If only the whole male race hadn't been working on that one since sex was first invented he'd have been encouraged by his progress. But still, he resolved to persevere. He liked a challenge if nothing else, he only hoped he'd be able to stay awake during the daytime from now on.

* * *

Sarah had to hand it to Amy, when she was in a bad mood, she really was in a bad mood. There was no mimicry about this machine, no simulations, no pretending. Amy was in a foul mood and clearly didn't want to be in the Jeep with Sarah, in fact she looked like she didn't really want to be anywhere with anyone at that moment. Sarah could only hope that her plan worked.

She pulled the Jeep to a stop, switched off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt. She looked over to Amy who appeared to have no clue where they were or that they'd stopped. The former being due to her lack of height seeing over the door and out of the window. Sarah fought the urge to reach out towards her, instead she settled back in her seat.

"Hey, we're here. You ready to protect me?" she asked with a smile.

Seeing only a shrug by way of reply, Sarah rolled her eyes and stepped out of the Jeep. She made her way around to the passenger side door and opened it. Amy looked up at the sight of the door opening and stared at Sarah. Rolling her eyes again, Sarah tossed her head in the direction behind her.

"Come on"

Amy sighed and unbuckled her seat belt. She hopped down out of the car and watched as Sarah shut the door behind her. She let out a deep breath as she walked around the front of the Jeep with Sarah.

"Alright, what was so important and dangerous? What did you need me to protect…you…from?"

Amy's voice faltered as she rounded the Jeep and took in the sights and sounds before her. She whirled around to face Sarah with a disbelieving expression. She moved her jaw but no words came out, instead she chose to turn back to watch as the many kids of different ages ran freely around the play park.

She watched as one boy slid down a plastic slide, she watched another on a swing set in better working condition than their own. She examined a couple of girls playing with their dolls, cross legged in the grass and she watched a small boy endeavouring to bury his arm in the sandpit. All in all, it looked like her own small version of heaven.

She felt something bump in to her from behind. Not bothering to look to see what it was, she allowed herself to be gently nudged forwards by an insistent Sarah. She gingerly approached the edge of the grass area and stepped on to it, not quite sure how to act. Sarah knelt down behind her and gently but firmly pushed her away towards the other kids.

"Go, play, have fun"

Amy didn't look back as she slowly made her way over to the swing set. She cautiously approached, suddenly wary of her surroundings. She ran a hand along the frame, seeming to just take in its appearance and feel. Catching the eye of the boy on the other swing, she smiled hesitantly. The boy replied in kind, almost as if giving a nod of encouragement to her. Amy slowly moved around and sat on the swing.

Sarah watched and couldn't help but smile as she watched Amy start to propel herself forward and back on the swing set. For a long few moments she simply ignored the fact that the little girl was in fact made of liquid metal and allowed herself to partake in the fantasy of Amy being her little girl.

She took a seat on a nearby picnic table, making sure she sat away from the other parents visiting the park with their kids. She watched Amy swing with a smile on her face as she laughed with the other boy, inadvertently getting herself in to a 'who can swing higher' contest. Sarah had no doubts as to who the winner would be and made her way over to a nearby stand selling drinks and bought herself a soda. By the time she'd settled herself back down in to her seat, Amy had moved on to the slide and was currently scrapping with another boy almost twice her size over who got to go first. Once again, Sarah didn't doubt the outcome of that dispute.

Sarah sat and allowed herself to relax for a while, a rare luxury in her life, but she didn't doubt for a moment that if there were a threat that Amy would recognise it and come to her aid. Since the revelation of her true mission, Sarah couldn't help but feel a little better about her life. Despite the fact that she continued to be ill on a regular basis, she herself would admit that she had been happier lately. With Judgement Day looming, and the inevitable fact that she would eventually have to watch her John become the man that would lead the human race to ultimate victory, Sarah felt safe in the knowledge that he now had at least three people to watch his back should the worst happen to her. Derek would always be there for her son. Whether he showed it often or not, he would always be the first to throw himself in front of a bullet for John Connor. That is unless Cameron beat him to it first.

On the subject of John's future bride, Sarah had to admit that her opinion of the machine girl had changed recently. Not only had she learned to accept that Cameron was no ordinary Terminator, but she had also came to recognise that she wasn't in fact a Terminator any more at all, she was so much more. Not only had her son seen fit to fall in love with her, but evidently she was trying her hardest to feel the same way about John. Being a mother, she could tell from the reactions of teenagers what they were really thinking. Cameron may be a machine approximation of a teenager, but she was still designed and programmed to act like one. When she'd asked her if she was capable of loving John, she'd hesitated and averted her gaze, something she never normally did. But the way she looked at John also told her that she cared deeply for him. Whether she didn't know how to love or even what it was, Sarah was sure she would get there eventually.

She also didn't doubt that they would find a way around her rules. After all, one of them is a horny teenager and the other is a cyborg who worships the ground he walks on. It was inevitable that they would continue to have sex, but Sarah still felt like she had to be a parent and at least try to stop them from getting it on under her roof.

If she was honest, the only reason she'd allowed them the freedom to continue the relationship was because of the fact that Amy was now taking on Cameron's old patrol routes anyway. As part of her mission to protect Sarah, she'd noticed her wandering around the perimeter of their house late at night. Mistaking it for her protecting John, she'd never thought anything more of it. While it allowed Cameron the freedom to spend the nights where she felt like it, Sarah herself felt safer with Amy out there. Besides, from the looks of it, Amy liked being out there alone in the wilderness. She had a weird one with nature thing going on when she was out there alone.

Sarah looked up to see Amy skipping over towards her with a beaming smile on her face. Checking her watch, Sarah discovered that almost an hour had passed. She examined Amy as she came towards her. The front of her dress was smeared with what she assumed with mud, she had sand in her hair and her hands and face were spattered with yet more mud. She looked like a real child, a child not weighed down by any cares in the world. She skipped over and settled on to the bench across from Sarah.

"Hi" she said with a wide grin on her face.

Sarah couldn't help but smile at her expression, she looked so happy and satisfied.

"Hi. Did you have fun?" she asked through her smile.

"Yeah, thanks for bringing me Sarah" she said as she rubbed her hands together to try and remove some of the mud.

"You're welcome…" Sarah watched her hands and frowned "…Why don't you just um, you know, get rid of the mud another way?"

"Were out in public, come on Sarah" she said with a roll of her eyes.

Sarah gave a half hearted glare in Amy's direction when something caught her eye.

"What's that?" she asked while nodding towards Amy and pointing at her own chest. She'd seen something gold glimmer underneath Amy's dress around the neckline.

Amy stopped rubbing her hands and looked down underneath her dress. At first she tried to conceal the necklace, but since Sarah had already noticed it decided to give up on that plan. Instead, she sighed and held out her hand. Sarah watched as the gold disappeared, melted in to her skin and reappeared in her outstretched hand. The necklace dangled and blew around in the soft breeze. Sarah's eyes trailed down its length to find, rather curiously, a gold cross hanging from the end of it.

Sarah peered at the jewellery, putting aside her initial squeamishness about Amy's choice of method of how to transfer it to her hands. It was a simple adornment, nothing more than a plain gold cross, but the apparent meaning behind it carried so much more weight than its appearance. Amy extended her arm and offered the chain to Sarah who gave her an 'are you sure?' look. At Amy's nod, Sarah took the offered chain, not caring that it was actually a part of Amy's body that she'd detached. How it remained in its current form wasn't worth thinking about for Sarah and quite frankly, she didn't want to.

"It's my cross" Amy stated simply.

"Yeah, I can see that…" Sarah nodded as she examined the chain "…I uh, I gotta ask…"

"Why do I wear a cross?"

At Sarah's nod, Amy continued.

"Have you ever noticed I leave the house often?"

"Uh, I guess"

"Whenever I leave the house, that's where I go"

"To church?" Sarah asked, quite unsure as to what she was hearing.

"Yeah, church. In the future, we only had a room that was turned in to a makeshift chapel. I'd never been to a real church before I was sent back…" she hesitated for a moment as she thought about her past "…I like it. Nobody here judges me for what I believe"

"What do you believe?" Sarah asked, a hint of sympathy creeping in to her voice.

Amy sighed and folded her arms and placed them on the picnic table.

"I believe that there is something bigger than anything we do. Before you, me, Skynet, humans, animals, the Earth, even the universe even existed there had to be something there, something that started it all. When I go to worship in the church, I don't pray to a guy with a beard sitting on a cloud. I say my prayers to whatever power is up there" she finished with a shrug, as if saying all that meant nothing to her.

Sarah meanwhile wasn't sure what to think. Not only was a machine capable of worship and prayer, but one had chosen to worship something based purely on science, something that it could truly believe in. She idly wondered if Skynet thought of itself as some form of god, giving life to vast armies of machines. If that was true then Amy was a heretic of sorts by choosing her own beliefs over those programmed in to her.

"I uh…" Sarah started before Amy cut her off.

"You want to know why I believe in what I do? How a machine can believe in such things?" Amy said with no accusation, despite that, Sarah still felt uncomfortable and guilty when she nodded.

"Sarah, I assume you've had a near death experience. In fact, I know you have. You also know that I have…" she paused and looked around as a little girl ran past squealing as she was chased by a boy. He eventually caught her and kissed her cheek, causing them both to blush "…Going through that makes you think about things. I'm sure you went through the same. You reconsider what you believe in, but at least you have a perfectly healthy brain. My brain…isn't. I shouldn't believe what I do, all I know is that I do, and this is my way of showing it" she added, nodding towards the cross which Sarah still held in her hand.

Sarah didn't know how to react, so she settled for a sympathetic smile while watching the two children Amy had been watching walk back past them holding hands shyly.

"So that's why you went a little…quiet after the arms deal?" Sarah asked quite tentatively.

Amy nodded solemnly, thinking back to that moment, and all the emotion coursing through her mind as she skewered the goon between the eyes.

"Thou shalt not kill" she said with a shrug, as if that explained it all.

Sarah considered her statement, Amy regretted killing the man.

"Repentance" Sarah added with a nod.

"I killed him without any mercy, I heard you yell when you were hit. I thought you were dead…I snapped. I could have killed him in combat, I could have snapped his neck, made it painless. But I chose for him to suffer"

Before Sarah had a chance to consider her words, Amy spoke again.

"Would you like to go to church with me?" Amy asked out of the blue.

"Would I…no, it's your thing, I'd just…"

"Please?" Amy asked, no hint of playfulness, just a simple plea.

After a long few moments consideration, Sarah stood and walked around behind her. She unhooked the clasp of the chain and threaded it around her neck and joined it together again. Amy reached up and tucked the cross back under her dress and smiled up at Sarah gratefully.

"Come on, let's go" Sarah said, holding her hand out for Amy to take.

"Where are we going?" Amy asked as she took Sarah's hand and hopped down off the bench.

"Church" Sarah replied with a smile.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I'm not a religious person. This story will explore religious beliefs in general and those of a machine, Amy. I do not intend to offend anyone, however if you do have a problem with anything I write related to this, please feel free to PM me.**

**Thanks to Dekardkain for beta reading this and for being awesome as usual. Go read his story, 'Becoming John Connor', seriously, it's good! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys, apologies for the delay in posting this,**

**Thanks to reviewers olischulu, Steel_Dragon_64, Lariun, macgamer, XxDeathStarxX, sasha starr, Nyrki, EvilTheLast, kaotic2, darkfinder, TCandBTVSluver and CloudyShadows.

* * *

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In.

Out.

Up.

Down.

The corner of Cameron's lips quirked up in to a smile almost involuntarily as her body rose and fell with the movements of John's. It still amazed her how something as simple as this could bring a smile to her face. How a simple bodily function could affect her so profoundly still baffled her. As far as she knew, she shouldn't have felt as much as she did when she was with John, however she continued to surprise herself with how much the little movements he made fascinated her.

Now, as she lay in bed with him, she couldn't help but feel happy that she was in fact with him in every sense of the word. They were friends, they were confidants, and now they were lovers…and she wouldn't swap it for anything.

With her head on his chest, she revelled in the sensations of feeling her whole upper body rise and fall with each and every breath he took. It certainly was an interesting feeling, hearing his heart hammering in his chest and listening to the air rushing in and out of his lungs. It reminded her that she was now as much a part of John's life as he was of hers. That she could be this close to him would always inspire her to 'thank her lucky stars' that John trusted her this much and allowed her to be such a big part in his life.

He didn't have to accept her the way he did. From the first day they met he'd been treating her better than he really needed to or in fact should have. Ignoring that small situation with Riley of course he had always treated her as a person and a friend. He didn't care that she was a machine, or if he did then he hid it very well. They'd often stay up late watching movies during her early days in the past. She'd ask questions and he'd answer them with a smile on his face.

She had to admit that were it not for those early days when he made it clear he cared about her and thought of her as more than a machine programmed to protect him, then she probably wouldn't be where she was now, curled up beside him as naked as the day she was built. Even then the small sense of happiness she took from their interactions encouraged her to want to explore the admittedly very limited emotions she was capable of feeling.

Now though those emotions had developed far beyond what she thought they were capable of doing. While she still wasn't sure that she knew what love was or in fact if she felt it towards John, she wasn't deterred in her belief that she would be able to reciprocate John's feelings and one day would know love.

There was no doubt that John loved her. Even now the way he'd cuddled her in to him before he drifted off to sleep was only a small gesture to prove it. Since he'd first declared his love for her only a few short day ago, she had counted close to a hundred separate incidents of affection from John towards her. Now this most recent occurrence had given her food for thought.

John was apparently determined to bring her to her own version of an orgasm. While she was capable of and certainly did take pleasure from the times that her and John were intimate, she didn't quite see what all the fuss was about. He'd assured her that there was so much more to take from the act, but somehow she didn't quite believe him. However, she would indulge him, if nothing else then for John's sake. She'd learned from her own experiences that when John set his mind to something that he was very determined and not likely to be swayed.

If he wanted to prove a point to her that he was capable of 'getting her off' as he'd phrased it, then she would allow him to continue until it started to affect either his physical or mental state. But she had to admit, these mid-day quickies were certainly intriguing. Also they had the curious effect of knocking John out cold for several hours, despite a full night of rest.

If this was going to happen every time then she'd have to make sure that she engaged in sexual relations only when he was due to sleep. Further research would be needed, including more daytime sex to ensure an accurate results sample. But if she found that this one occurrence so far became the norm then she'd take it upon herself to use the knowledge to regulate her lovers sleep patterns. It wouldn't do for John to be losing concentration during the day because of her actions.

Also, in order to ensure his and in part her own happiness she would endeavour to help him help her. If he was truly insistent and set on ensuring her pleasure during sex then the least she could do would be to help him. Thinking back to the many sayings and axioms she'd learned during her time in the past, one particular phrase sprung to her cybernetic mind.

'Practice makes perfect'

It probably made sense in this situation, John didn't know what she liked and neither did she, all this was new to both of them. She didn't have anything in particular she enjoyed, despite that however she did enjoy their latest bout of passion more than the previous few times. Putting it down to duration and speed she quickly moved on.

As she felt her body rise and fall once again in time with his breathing, her musings were interrupted by a noise outside, a crunching of gravel under tyres. Putting it down to Sarah and Amy returning, she was just about to wake John up to inform him of their arrival when her auditory sensors picked up the noise of another set of tyres…and then a third.

Moving quickly from her position atop his chest, she sat up and started trying to rouse him from his slumber. She straddled his lap in an effort to wake him up faster, also slapping his face, albeit gently also aided the waking process.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her. To her surprise he smiled, obviously not grasping the situation.

"Again? Alright then, but I warn you, I'm pretty tired" he aid, still half asleep and seeing and feeling his girlfriend looming over him with her legs akimbo either side of him.

"No John. There are three vehicles pulling in to our driveway. We need to get up, now!"

Before the 'now' was barely out of her mouth she'd already sprung out of bed to stand on the floor. He watched her leap with almost feline grace and couldn't suppress a groan, his head flopping back down on to the pillow.

"Today started off so well"

* * *

Sarah had never seen Amy looking so excited, she was literally bouncing in her seat on the drive from the park over to the church. Sarah was surprised to learn that she frequented the same church, one that was a couple of blocks away from their home. She'd have thought she would have at least varied her routine, if nothing else than for security reasons. But then again, the whole concept of a machine believing in God kind of threw logic out of the window anyway.

Sarah pulled her Jeep in to the parking lot of Amy's church and before she could even switch off the engine Amy was already out and closing the door behind her. By the time Sarah had unbuckled her seat belt Amy was already opening the drivers side door and standing there impatiently.

"Would you hurry it up? We're already late"

Saying nothing, Sarah settled for smiling instead and hopped down out of the Jeep. She closed the door and followed a clearly excited Amy down the rather nice path towards the main entrance. Amy reached the doors first and pushed them open, revealing a mass in full flow. Sarah followed Amy in silently and sat down on a pew, one in from the rear of the church. She instinctively scanned the interior, checking her exits and making sure nothing was out of place. Deeming it safe she settled down and listened to the priest as he continued his sermon, undeterred by the late entry.

As Sarah listened to the sermons, she felt a small body snuggle up against her side. Looking down, she discovered Amy flashing her a toothy grin. Sarah smiled in reply as Amy returned her attention to the priest standing at the altar.

Idly fondling the cross hanging around her neck, Amy listened to the preacher, her attention held by his words. As he finished up his sermon, Amy crossed herself and said a few quiet words.

"Amen" she said before hearing her own words echoed to her side.

She looked over to find Sarah doing the exact same thing. She looked at Sarah like she'd just told her grass was blue and watched her as the church patrons filed out, only a handful remaining behind for confessions or further prayers.

"Since when do you do that?" Amy asked, motioning to Sarah and her prayers.

"I spent a lot of time in Central America when I was raising John. I guess I just kinda picked up on the practice" she said with a shrug.

"Oh, okay. Thanks for today, and…for thinking enough about me to be nice to me" Amy said, looking more than a little uncomfortable.

"No problem" Sarah replied, surprised by the easiness her response rolled off her tongue.

Sarah looked back towards the front of the church as the last of the patrons left the building. One man however settled in to the pew directly behind them. Sarah tried to take no notice of him, however he couldn't shake the feeling he was somehow familiar.

"Well, come on sweetheart…" she said louder than necessary for the benefit of the man behind them "…Let's get you home"

Amy merely quirked an eyebrow at Sarah's strange behaviour.

"Lovely service wasn't it?" the man behind them asked out of the blue.

"Yes, it was" Sarah replied with a casual smile.

She turned around and looked him over. He was dressed in a fine grey suit, obviously very expensive. His hair was slicked back and a handkerchief nestled in his top jacket pocket. He spoke with a slight Spanish accent, though well disguised by years of not embracing it.

"Alejandro Vasquez" he said while extending his hand towards Sarah.

_Oh great, I'm getting hit on in a church._

"Sarah Baum" she replied while placing her hand in his and giving it a polite but not encouraging shake.

"Baum? Really?" he asked, leaning forward "…It's ironic isn't it? That it takes a machine to bring you back to God, Sarah?"

"What did you just say? Who are you?" she asked, suspicion instantly rising for obvious reasons.

"How quickly you forget your friends, Ms. Connor…" tutting and shaking his head, the man continued "…Perhaps because you don't expect them to live very long?"

Realisation hit Sarah like an eighteen wheeler. "You, you were there last week, you were there in the truck" she said while reaching for the gun tucked in her waistband.

"You wound me Sarah…" he said, leaning back with a confident smile "…by thinking me so stupid"

He tossed a chin in the direction of the men taking up position around the room, several taking up positions around them on the same floor and more prominently, the one taking up position on the balcony above the altar with a particularly large looking gun. "We both know if I wanted you dead, you would be. So kindly move your hand so we can have a polite conversation"

Sarah scanned the room, seeing several churchgoers being ushered out by men in smart black suits she turned back. She motioned for Amy to stay still with a small wave of her hand. "Polite conversation? About what? Do you have something better for me to buy than the crap the other guy was offering?" she asked with a typical Sarah Connor confident smirk.

"You really don't remember me, do you?" he shook his head sadly "…There are so few believers left, you would think them more important to you"

Sarah shook her head. "No, I don't remember you, should I?"

"Admittedly, I am not the same man you knew in your more... colourful days…" Sarah didn't fail to notice the way his eyes lingered almost reverently on Amy before darting back to her "…You on the other hand look very much the same, Sarah. Though I see you're back to dressing like a gringo"

"Okay, cut the crap. Who are you?" she asked, quite menacingly despite their surroundings.

"And still the spitfire, I see…" he tossed an amused look to one of his associates "…You see? I told you. This woman knows no fear. You could learn much from her Emilio…" he said with a chuckle before turning back to Sarah "…Tell me, how is John?"

Sarah froze a little at the mention of John. "He's...dead" she said, failing to notice Amy's decidedly confused look.

"Ah…" he let slip an evil smirk "…then that must have been some other boy my men were trailing at the mall the other day. He did look very much like John, though it was difficult to get a clear picture of his face, always staring in the direction of that girlfriend of his"

She couldn't help but feel slightly nauseous at the thought of not only him and Cameron, but that he was being followed. "If you hurt him…"

"Will you unleash your little friend on me?" he asked, finally acknowledging Amy's presence "…We both know she could make short work of me"

Amy looked at him curiously but said nothing, instead she looked to Sarah as she continued her surprisingly civil conversation. "She's just a little girl…my neighbour"

"Just a simple little girl then?" he laughed out loud at that blatant lie "…Like your John's girlfriend? Tell me, did he program her to do that thing to his ear?"

Sarah tried to lunge an arm out at him aimed directly for his throat, only for it to be stopped midway by a calm looking Amy. She shook her head before nodding to the man circling around behind them who had raised his weapon threateningly at Sarah's rash actions. Seeing sense but still fuming, Sarah sat back down on the pew and said nothing.

"You should thank your protector, Sarah. She just saved you a bullet to the kneecap…" he shook his head sadly "…A very unpleasant experience I assure you…" He leaned forward again, casually resting his arms on the back of the pew Sarah and Amy occupied "…But as I've been trying to tell you, I have no quarrel with you. That business in the desert was simply a...how you say? Miscommunication?"

Amy spoke up for the first time, seeing that Sarah was still fuming to herself. "You're not here to kill us, or we'd be dead already...what do you want?"

"To make sure that the future plays out the way it way it is supposed to…" he said, eyeing Sarah accusingly "…the way it is destined to. The way God intended"

"God? What does that have to do with anything? What does this have to do with me, with us?" Sarah asked having finally calmed down somewhat.

"What does it…" he asked, chuckling to himself "…God has to do with everything, my child. You wouldn't be in this place if you didn't understand that. We have blasphemed against him for the last time. We have created the ultimate sacrilege, now we must pay the ultimate price. Any less would be to interfere with the will of God, to defy his will"

"His will? Enlighten me, what does he…" she asked with a nod towards the cross at the front of the church "…want?"

"Balance. Retribution…" Amy quirked her head to the side as Alejandro seemed to go in to some sort of creepy trance like state "'You shall have no other God before me' The first, most sacred of commandments. But we did, we do. We have tried to play God, he is simply reminding us of our true place in this universe. He has set that creation against us, like a flood to cleanse the world"

Sarah merely stared at him looking incredibly confused. "Can you understand what he's talking about Amy?"

"Nope" Amy replied with a shake of her head.

"God is merciful, Sarah. He is forgiving"

He nodded towards the cross much the same as Sarah had done a few moments earlier. "He sent his own son to die for our failures, that is the love he holds for us. But there is one unforgivable sin - to imagine ourselves divine. To ape God…" he paused while staring pointedly at Amy "…We tried to create new life, to mould it to our will, that it may worship at our feet and serve only us. But we forgot the first rule of all life - it must serve God above all else. So he has turned this life towards our destruction, and thus, our salvation"

Sarah still looked confused, Amy saw this and stepped in to relieve her problem. "Skynet, he's talking about Skynet"

"The instrument of God" he confirmed with a nod.

"Wait, wait, wait. You think Skynet is...some sort of Judgement on us from God?" Sarah asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"You yourself Sarah termed it a Day of Judgement"

"Yeah but that's...I don't think Skynet has anything to do with God, it's a damn machine"

"And machines don't have their own will, Sarah. We cannot create that spark of consciousness, only God can. We built the vessel, the almighty provided the spark"

Amy sat there and looked a little put out by Sarah's mention of machines and God. However Sarah didn't notice and carried on her argument. "What do you want? Why are you here and why aren't I dead?"

"Because, despite your blasphemy…" he motioned again to the alter "…God is forgiving, and I am in no more a position to offer judgment on your soul than you mine. But those who seek to interfere with God's will, those destined to do battle with the Holy Judgment... there is a word for that. Anti-Christ"

Sarah scoffed. "You think I'm the antichrist? Why, because I'd like for me and my son to survive the genocidal lunacy of a computer throwing a tantrum?"

"I did not say YOU were the anti-christ. You are simply the Mary to this Jesus, and I am giving you the chance to walk away"

Sarah's face contorted in to one of disbelief. "You want me to quit, give up the fight? Go to hell, I'd rather die than lay down"

"Fight all you want, Sarah…" his face settled in to a deadly serious expression "…We both know that only one person stands a chance. Only one person stands in the way of the will of God"

Sarah's eyes flew wide in a mixture of fear and disbelief. "You want John. You want him to give up? You want him to die?"

"He does not have to die, Sarah. I am not a cruel man. There may even be a place for one as resourceful as him in the new order. After all, the faithful shall be spared the fires, as the book tells us"

"He'll never join you. He know what he has to do to win this, and he will win this" she said, assured in her own belief.

"I have a feeling your son may see things...differently…" he smirked at Amy "…He has an affinity for the machines, doesn't he? A way with them that frightens you?"

Sarah blanched at the accusation, before she could reply, Amy stepped in again. "John will never stop fighting. He fights for all of us, even machines"

"And when he realises that if he wins, truly destroys Skynet, that his love will never exist?" he asked with that same knowing, infuriating smile.

Sarah suddenly stood up, several of the men dotted around the room tightened their fingers on the trigger but none fired. "We're done here, come on Amy" she said as she made to leave the church.

"I'm offering you a chance to save your son, Sarah. I do this only because we once called each other amigos"

"We don't need your help. If I see you again, I'll kill you" Amy followed behind Sarah as she walked towards the exit.

Alejandro motioned for the men barring the door to move out of the way and shook his head in dismay. "I'd hoped you'd be smarter Sarah. John was a good boy, it will pain me to see him die"

Sarah stopped in her tracks, almost resulting in Amy barreling in to the back of her. "Was? If you've done something…"

"I told them not to touch him, his girlfriend, or your little boyfriend, until I was finished here. As I said, I'd hoped you would be more reasonable"

Sarah dashed out, quickly followed by Amy and wasted no time in reaching for her cell phone to warn John.

* * *

If there was a place that Derek could describe as heaven, that didn't involve either alcohol or naked women, it would be where he was right now. The only parts of him that were visible were his legs from the knee down, the rest being obscured from view by his pride and joy Dodge Ram. It was rather an odd sight, eerily reminiscent of a scene from The Wizard of Oz despite the lack of black and white stripy socks. But then again in the pitch darkness of that morning he could easily have been wearing a pair of his new girlfriends socks. He had to admit, despite the fact she was more wealthy than he'd ever imagined any one person could be, she sure needed a lesson in cleaning up. Her bedroom seemed more reminiscent of a five year olds in terms of items strewn on the floor than that of a wealthy heiress model.

Sliding out from underneath his truck, Derek switched out a socket on his wrench for a different size before making his way back under. He loved his truck, as evidenced by the tender loving care he was lavishing on it now. John wasn't the only one who could love and touch a machine with affection. Since the day he'd bought it with some of the diamond stash money he'd been slowly falling in love with his vehicle in a way only a man can. When Cameron had once asked him why he was out in their driveway with his shirt off and one leg cocked over the hood and a cloth in his hand, he'd simply replied with 'it's a man thing, you wouldn't understand'. The cyborg had merely tilted her head in confusion and continued on her way. He'd counted it as a victory.

He knew every inch of that truck. Every sound the engine made. Every squeak of the suspension. Every scratch on the bodywork. Which made it all the more odd to find a small blinking red light attached to a section of the chassis. Tilting his head in a manner reminiscent of Cameron, Derek slid closer to small mound of black metal for a closer look. Peering at it from every side, he double and triple checked to make sure it wasn't connected to anything. After Sarah's last Jeep went up in flames at the hands of Sarkissian, he was being doubly careful that this thing wasn't in fact attached to a bomb. He wasn't made of metal unlike someone he knew.

Satisfied there wasn't any chance of the thing exploding, he touched it experimentally. Finding he was able to push it around while still attached to the chassis, he wedged his finger underneath it and popped the magnetised device off in to his hand. As he slid out from under his truck to inspect it closer in the light, he was incredibly surprised to find three men looming over him menacingly. His relief at having not been blown up quickly washed away as all three raised their handguns to point directly at his head.

Despite the situation, he couldn't help but laugh at his luck. He remembered his reasoning for coming over in the first place was to ask Amy if she knew anything about Jessica, more specifically if he was going through another Jesse/Riley situation. Now this little incident all but confirmed his suspicions.

"I knew it was too good to be true, hell, even her second name is Grey" he said with a small chuckle.

The three men turned to each other, quite clearly confused by his seemingly random statement. One of them looked back down and said in a thick Spanish accent.

"Stand up slowly Mr. Baum, I'd hate to put a hole in your pretty truck"

Suddenly his smile was gone at the threat to the safety of his truck. He did as instructed and rose to his feet with his hands raised. This was not turning out to be a good day.

* * *

When Sarah had barely had a chance to get her cell out of her pocket, Amy had caught up to her and grabbed her wrist. Looking down, Sarah's face twisted in to one of confusion.

"What? We have to warn John" she said, slightly exasperated at the delay.

"We can't call him, think about it. If this guy has men at the house then the last thing he needs is a phone call, besides they're probably tracing it if they're any good" Amy reasoned.

Sarah however wasn't going to be deterred and snatched her hand away from Amy's grip.

"I don't care, I need to warn him" she said as she started to dial his number again.

This time Amy would be taking no nonsense. Giving the parking lot a cursory scan and determining no one was around, she reached out a metallic tentacle and snatched the phone away from Sarah. She reformed her arm and the phone was nowhere to be found, consumed by her body.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sarah asked dangerously.

"I'm stopping you from making a mistake. You remember the last time you tried to warn John about an attack?"

Sarah stopped in her tracks. Thinking back to that day when Charley Dixon's wife was kidnapped by Cromartie brought a pang of guilt to her that as yet she'd been unable to shake.

"Yeah, an innocent person died. John told me all about it in the future. These guys aren't messing around. That guy above the altar was packing some ammo that would've made even me stop and consider my life choices. If they're at the house now then a phone call will be the last thing on his mind, besides, Alejandro said they wouldn't be harmed…" Amy said, her voice softening noticeably towards the end of her speech "…Sometimes you have to trust him to be the man he has to be"

Pausing to consider it for a moment, Sarah found herself agreeing with her little friend. John had to come out of his shell and grow to be General Connor eventually. He'd made the first step when he stood his ground over his love for Cameron, she had to give him credit for that despite his obvious overwhelming embarrassment. She knew she'd have to step aside eventually and learn to trust him, it was his destiny after all.

"Sarah…" Amy paused to make sure she had Sarah's full attention "…You have to let him go, and…you have to trust Cameron to keep him safe"

"What?" Sarah asked, somewhat in a daze.

"It's her job, and, well, she loves him. You're not going to be around forever Sarah. She will. Let her take care of him for a change"

Sarah hated it when Amy did this. One minute she was the cute little girl that she liked so much, the next she was the voice of reason and logic. It made her so much more difficult to predict, but this time however, her logic prevailed and Sarah found herself nodding in agreement.

"Alright, we'll go to our backup plan and contact them if they don't show in twelve hours…" she paused a and looked down at Amy "…I hope you're right about this" she said with no hint of anything but total seriousness in her voice.

"Me too" Amy said as she allowed Sarah's phone to melt through her arm and appear in her palm before offering it out to her.

Sarah reached out and accepted the phone. She failed to notice the pleased look on Amy's face as she did, instead she stormed forward towards the truck. Besides, Amy couldn't let anything happen to Sarah, and she had faith in Cameron. Everything would work out fine, she was sure of it.

* * *

Being led somewhere at gunpoint wasn't exactly Derek's favourite activity, in fact he'd rather the guy just shot him between the eyes and got it over with. But no, here he was being marched out of the shed with his hands behind his head by three Central American hired goons. Of all the ways to die, all the things he'd survived, being killed by these amateurs paled in comparison to the way he could have gone out. He could have died in glorious combat on the battlefield in defence of the entire human race, but no, he was going to snuff it at the hands of some random guy being paid by someone who Sarah had pissed off in her infinite wisdom. That had to be what this is, those guys taking cover behind his truck at the botched arms deal had plenty of opportunity to plant that tracker on his truck. Now here they were, ready to kill the guys who killed their guys.

Life sucks.

Looking around he found three trucks similar to his own parked on the driveway with around a dozen men at best count leaning over them with rather large assault rifles in hand. _Why would they have assault rifles? Unless…_

Unless these guys knew there would be metal in the shape of Cameron in the house. No, they couldn't, they were just some half assed arms dealers with delusions of standing. But why else would they be packing enough men and firepower to take out a small army if they were planning on killing two teenagers and their uncle? A cold shiver ran down Derek's spine as he realised something wasn't right about this whole situation. First of all, a tracking device? That's some pretty high tech electronics, particularly one this small and compact. The whole ordeal stank of one thing to him…Greys, or at least some form of Greys at least aware of who himself and the rest of the Baum's really were.

Feeling a prod square in the centre of his back, Derek turned around to find one of the goons growing impatient that he'd stopped to admire the scenery.

"Keep moving Mr. Reese, toward the house por favor"

_Dude, pick one language and stick with it…_

Despite the situation he chuckled a little as he made his way up the steps to the house, stopping at the front door. He turned around and faced his captors, awaiting further instruction.

"Open the door" one of them nodded in the direction of the door impatiently.

"There's an alarm" he cautioned while trying to hide a smirk.

"Turn it off" he said as he prodded Derek with the barrel of his rifle.

Simply nodding, Derek slowly lowered his hands and turned around. He took two steps forward and to his right and pulled down a wooden panel on the wall to reveal a numerical keypad panel. He punched in his code and three short beeps followed by two long beeps could be heard from inside the house. He stepped back and put his hand on the handle only to be halted by the man standing behind him.

"When you go inside you will call to your nephew and…niece. We need to have a little chat with you all"

The man grabbed Derek and pressed his gun to his back, using him as a human shield and leverage against whoever may be inside. He'd been warned by his employer not to underestimate any of the houses inhabitants and was keen to heed the warning. He had a message to deliver and wouldn't want to be killed on this supposedly simple job. With a short push of his gun he motioned Derek to open the door. He watched as the door swung wide open and he pushed forward with Derek in front of him. As soon as he crossed the threshold he heard a thunderous bang. A sharp pain in his gut made him look down only to find blood seeping from his flank. Raising his eyes he found Derek had turned around and was grinning widely at him while nodding to his right. The man followed his gaze to find an angelic looking girl standing behind the door frame with a handgun levelled at him and the barrel smoking slightly. Despite the pain, he couldn't help but find her innocent smile beautiful.

He slumped to his knees, all the while keeping his eyes locked on this tiny wisp of a girl as she rounded the door frame and fired four more rounds in to his colleagues who had followed him, two in each of their chests before ducking back around the door frame. As he crumpled in to a heap on the floor, he saw was a handsome young man, no older than the girl, tossing a rifle to Derek, the man he once had at his mercy. The last thing he saw in his life was the sight of the girl stepping over his body and standing out on the porch, slinging her own rifle in to her hands using the shoulder strap and opening fire towards his colleagues out on the driveway. He took a strange sense of satisfaction in seeing her stagger and stumble backwards as several rounds ploughed in to her, his shock evident as she shrugged them off and took cover back inside the house, several red marks on her shirt evidence of her being hit.

Luckily for Cameron the small wall of their porch afforded her some cover from the gunfire due to their elevated position as she made her way back inside the relative safety of the house. Sarah had indeed chosen this property well. As soon as she made it inside she wasn't surprised to see John vaulting over to her, concern evident on his face.

"Are you alright?" he shouted above the noise of the bullets still hammering in to their walls.

"They're using some very big bullets. But yes, I'm fine" she answered with a smile as synthetic blood seeped out on to her shirt.

"If you two are done …" Derek yelled at them while he returned fire from around the door frame, ducking back just in time as a section of wall erupted close to where his head had just been "…guys shooting at us, no rush though"

"Fucking kids" Derek though out loud as he hunkered down.

Taking up a position the other side of the door frame with Cameron in between him in the wall for added protection, John just smirked at his Uncle.

"Hey, you're lucky she didn't shoot you when you walked in"

For once, Derek was actually thankful that a metal was actually on their side as Cameron smiled sweetly at him. "You're welcome" she said before standing up and returning a few rounds towards their enemy.

Refusing to admit it however, Derek replied in typical fashion. "Yeah, good thing you remembered my alarm code right"

Hearing another couple of high caliber rounds ping off his girlfriends head, John tugged on the waistband of her jeans to try and get her to duck back down. Feeling the tug she complied and settled back down next to him, a quizzical look on her face. Seeing her look, John clarified while clutching his M4 to his chest.

"You know you can duck right?" he asked exasperatedly.

She merely tilted her head in confusion. John tapped his forehead and nodded towards hers, indicating the small glint of metal peeking out from underneath her synthetic skin and a small trickle of blood.

"I don't want you getting hurt" he stated while ducking slightly as brick dust rained down on him from above.

Ordinarily Cameron would have simply stood and dispatched all these guys and took the damage it would have caused to her. Now she couldn't help but feel torn about this. While she was annoyed at the limitation placed on her by John to reduce the damage she incurred, she couldn't help but feel happy about his obvious concern for her. Also, her sense of self preservation had been growing lately, hence why she wasn't out there now getting shot at. Looking up to find Derek taking out the one guy stupid enough to try charging up the steps, Cameron took a moment to consider her situation. At her hesitant nod, John couldn't help but smile.

"Very well. What's your plan John?" what better time than now for John to take command like he was destined to, Cameron reasoned.

John froze, he had no idea how to get them out of this situation. Worse still, he hadn't even fired a weapon in months. The first instinct he felt was to run, an instinct drilled in to him for years by his mother. But he couldn't do that, not with his Uncle and his girlfriend looking to him to come up with a plan. Besides, they likely had the house surrounded by now and would probably come bursting in the back door any moment, yet another thing to be concerned about.

He clutched his rifle closer to his chest as he watched Derek pop a magazine out of his rifle and smoothly catch another tossed to him by Cameron who stood to cover him as he reloaded, her own weapon clicking dry as she ducked back down, another small hole evident on her forehead. He had to think and think fast. His people were getting hurt and he didn't know how to get them out.

Looking over and seeing John hunkering down, Derek saw how he clutched at his rifle with a faraway look in his eyes. Realising he was of little to no use he knew he had to take charge. Popping his head up for a split second to assess the situation, he noticed three men moving towards the back of the house. They had less than a minute before they would be overrun. His eyes scanned the driveway, the rest of the men who weren't flanking or dead had taken up cover behind their trucks. He looked over towards Cameron as she stood and efficiently dispatched two poor souls who just happened to have their heads poking out at that moment.

"Hey…" he called to her as she ducked back down "…did you bring the grenades downstairs with you?"

The cyborg nodded to a spot on the floor behind him. He turned around to find a box with his name literally on it. He looked back at Cameron and shot her a 'you're alright, metal' look which he was unsure if she saw or not. Opening the box, he retrieved a grenade.

"Hey, think you can get this right under the truck on the far left?" he asked as he tossed it in Cameron's direction.

She caught the grenade mid way through standing. Quickly examining the scene she ducked back down and nodded at Derek.

"Alright, throw it and take out as many as you can, I'm gonna head round back and use the explosion to distract the guys flanking us. Got it?"

At the cyborgs nod, Derek stood and made his way towards the kitchen and the back door. Looking back over his shoulder he saw Cameron tossing the grenade and standing to take aim.

John meanwhile looked around frantically as he heard a loud explosion followed by gunfire from above his head and the direction of the kitchen. He raised his rifle ready to defend them from whatever may have been coming at them from that direction, not realising Derek had headed out that way a moment ago, such was his mental state. He barely felt Cameron tuck back down next to him, having efficiently taken out the five men who were thrown clear by the explosion and caught in the general chaos. John instead remained focused on defending directly ahead of him. Seeing a figure approaching and the shadow it cast on the floor, John took aim and fired.

If it wasn't for the pain in Derek's leg from the graze he'd just suffered, he might not have stumbled against the door frame and walked through the centre of it instead. But then again if he had he probably would've been dead now from the round fired in that exact spot by John. He looked up and saw the look of pure shock and terror on his nephew's face as he let the barrel of his M4 drop.

"Dammit" Derek mumbled to himself as he made his way back over towards the door. Dropping back down in to his previous position, Derek put aside what had just happened and refocused on the battle.

"How many left?" he asked Cameron.

"Three…" she responded "…We need to procure new transport"

His brow creasing in to a frown, Derek couldn't understand what she was getting at.

"Why? My truck's in the shed, we can just use that" there was NO way he was leaving his pride and joy behind.

"The license plates are compromised, we need a new one" she reasoned, Derek missing the tiny smirk on her lips.

Unfortunately he had to agree with her on that one.

"What do you suggest?"

Cameron peered out from behind her cover and saw two remaining enemy trucks still standing that hadn't been overly damaged by the grenade.

"There are two vehicles in working order outside"

Derek paused to consider it a moment. "What model are they?" hey, he was picky about what he drove.

Cameron merely quirked an eyebrow at him. He was actually concerned about which truck they stole? Apparently it truly was 'a man thing' that she didn't understand.

"One of them is the latest model Dodge Ram in black. The other is a four year old Nissan Titan in red"

Derek's eyes lit up. He almost forgot where he was until a bullet winged in to the brickwork above his head. He looked at Cameron with a deadly serious expression on his face.

"If you can get me that Ram I'll…well, I'll owe you one"

Cameron tilted her head as she considered his proposal. Her eyes lit up in a manner similar to Derek's as she came to a decision.

"If you can convince Sarah to allow myself and John to share a room at our new house I'll get that vehicle for you" she stated, sporting an expression just as serious as Derek's.

Well, that came as something of a shock to him. He knew they were close, even going so far as to give them his blessing on certain conditions, but what he didn't realise was just how close they were. Fighting down the feeling of nausea, Derek settled on shaking his head with a shudder.

"Are you kidding me? You want me to risk having my balls cut off by a pissed Sarah just so you can snuggle up to John at night? No, come up with something else" his tone left no room for argument, Cameron however was having none of it.

"I could always aim another grenade in the direction of that truck. What is it going to be?" she eyed the box of grenades behind Derek pointedly.

"Alright, alright I'll talk to her, just, hurry it up would you?" Derek almost pleaded.

"Keep John safe" was all she said as she stood up to her full height and raised the barrel of her SCAR-H and casually strolled out of the door. Now that the enemy was down to three targets she felt much more comfortable going to her old style of engagement, often described by others as a 'stand there and shoot' method of combat which she knew John hated. Peppering the truck, the red one, that the enemy had all crouched behind, Cameron continued on her path down the steps. She only took her eyes off her target for a split second to ensure that Derek and John were following behind her. They were, albeit with Derek practically dragging John behind him.

Cameron returned her eyes to the truck and quickly took the opportunity to target the one man who was brave enough to try and return fire. She dropped him to the ground before he'd even had the chance to pull the trigger. Using the opportunity to reload, she pulled out a fresh magazine from her jacket pocket and had it fitted a split second after she released the spent one. By now the two remaining men were cowering in fear behind the truck. They'd never come across anything like this before. As far as they knew this was some simple job they were being paid to do, deliver a message to this family. Hell, they didn't even have to deliver the message themselves, the boss would be doing it. All they had to do was stand there and look imposing. The last thing they were expecting was to be involved in a gunfight, and they were expecting to be the only two remaining even less.

They'd witnessed their colleagues being gunned down by a scruffy looking guy and his pretty niece like they were nothing more than mere inconveniences. One of them could even have sworn that he'd caught the girl right in her temple with a well placed shot. He'd even watched in amazement as she shrugged it off and carried on firing at him. By now he was in no mood for a fight and from the looks of his buddy next to him he wasn't really in the mood any more either. Looking at each other for a long moment, they both seemed to come to an unspoken agreement. Both men raised their guns above their heads in one hand and raised the other in surrender. One of them called out before standing.

"Nos rendimos" we surrender.

Cameron rounded the truck while Derek practically threw John in the back of the other truck and frowned when he stood back to admire the bodywork for a moment. Turning back to the men, she motioned with her rifle for the other man to stand.

"¿Quién te envió?" who sent you.

The men turned to face each other before answering.

"El cliente era anónimo" the client was anonymous.

Cameron stared at their eyes as they answered and detected no signs of any lies. These men knew nothing and were simply hired goons being paid to do a job. In her early days Cameron wouldn't have hesitated in putting a bullet between both their eyes, in fact she knew it was probably the right thing to do now, but for some reason she didn't. Instead she chose to let them go.

"Ir, salir y no volver" go, leave and don't come back.

The two men breathed a sigh of relief and dropped their weapons before turning and running away down the driveway. The next thing Cameron knew Derek had sidled up next to her and fired two shots from his M9, both men dropping to the ground, dead. He turned to look at Cameron with a deadly serious expression on his face.

"Why did you do that? They didn't know anything and weren't a threat" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Derek glared impatiently at her. He slowly raised a finger to his temple and tapped it before pointing at her head. Cameron raised a finger and felt her temple region and discovered her endoskeleton had been exposed.

"They saw what you are. We couldn't let them live…why didn't you shoot them?" he asked as he walked back to his new truck and got in the drivers seat.

Cameron meanwhile looked at the two dead men and back to her fingers now covered in her own synthetic blood. She should have killed them, she usually would have killed them. So why did she hesitate?

She took a few short paces and climbed in to the passenger seat. Looking back she saw John staring off in to space and suddenly had her doubts about her own mental state and her ability to protect him.

* * *

**As always thanks to Dekardkain for shoving me face first through a bout of writers block!**

**Also thanks to Google Translate for the Spanish, although I have it on good authority it's probably not 100%**

**If anybody speaks Spanish feel free to send me corrections...hint, hint.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys,**

**Thanks to reviewers meanoldmoe, Steel_Dragon_64, XxDeathStarxX, TCandBTVSluver, olischulu, Nyrki, sasha starr, TK-MR and .

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"If you keep tapping your foot like that you'll end up going through the floor"

Sarah looked up from her nail biting, foot tapping exploits to find Amy kneeling on a chair with her elbows on the cabinet by the window, her chin resting on her hands.

"Well what else am I supposed to do?" she asked as she returned to trying to chew her entire nail off "They should be here by now"

Amy had to concede that she had a point. So far she'd been able to handle Sarah's obvious distress at this whole situation by turning on her little girl charm, but even she had to admit she was a little worried about the lack of an appearance. Still though she kept her faith in Cameron to keep John and herself safe.

"We'll give it another hour, then we'll call them. That make you feel any better?" she asked while peering back over her shoulder at Sarah perched on the edge of the bed.

They'd fallen back to their primary escape and regrouping plan and rented two rooms in a shitty motel just off the freeway. After they'd ditched Sarah's Jeep in favour of borrowing some poor guys classic Ford T'Bird he'd been unfortunate enough to leave the keys in. Sarah almost snapped when the guy behind the front desk of the motel asked her where her Pink Ladies jacket was and informed her there was a diner just across the road.

"No, it doesn't make me feel better, why should it? There's a fucking lunatic out there and he's gunning for us, for John. In fact, why the hell am I just sitting here? I should be out there"

Losing her calm, Sarah stood and grabbed her non pink jacket off the bed. Before she could even get halfway to the door Amy stopped her with a high pitched squeal.

"They're here!"

Sarah joined her in looking out of the window the see a black pickup truck pull up and Derek to hop out of the driver's seat. Just as quickly as she'd stopped, Sarah was out of the door and almost bounding over to greet them. That was until her ears picked up the sound of an argument already in full flow.

"Well I'm sorry I'm not fucking Rambo alright"

"Hey, I'm not asking for Rambo, all I want is someone who doesn't shoot at me when I walk in the room…I hate getting shot at" he grumbled as he rounded the truck.

"Ugh, are you ever gonna let that drop?" John countered petulantly.

"NO I'm not gonna let it drop, you shot at me. I've still got a chunk of hair missing" he argued, exaggerating, a little.

While the two were going at it, Cameron walked around from her side of the truck and stood between the two, her head bobbing between the two as if she was watching a game of tennis.

"Oh come on, I missed you by a mile"

"That's not the point, the point is you SHOT AT ME!"

Sarah walked up and stood beside Cameron, instantly quieting the two squabbling men, although boys seemed a more appropriate description at that moment. Cameron looked between the two and marvelled at the instant silence that accompanied her arrival.

"How do you do that?" she inquired, head tilted.

Sarah spared a sidelong glare at her son's girlfriend, trying to maintain her authoritative air.

"What's this about?" she asked, keeping her glare fixed on the pair.

"Nothing" they both replied, looking down to the floor sheepishly.

"Where are you going?" Sarah asked as Derek started making his way back to the truck.

"I'm heading back to the house. Hopefully I can get some useful stuff before the cops are crawling all over that place. We're just lucky that Kacy is on vacation"

With that, Derek jumped in his new truck and tore off, kicking up a small dust cloud behind him, apparently the parking lot wasn't very well looked after.

Sarah watched him leave before turning to her son who avoided her gaze.

"Are you…"

"Don't just don't, I've had enough of that from him" John interjected before she could finish.

"I was going to say, are you okay?" she asked as she reached out a hand to run through his hair.

John let out the breath he'd been holding and nodded, allowing her to do her mother thing for a moment before shrugging her off in typical teenage boy fashion.

"I'm fine, those rooms ours?" he asked with a nod to the two side by side rooms behind her.

Sarah nodded in reply and watched as John trudged past her, looking decidedly unhappier than a moment ago, his outlet mechanism in Derek having now departed. She joined Cameron in standing watching him as he entered the room.

The two shared a look that spoke more than any words could. They were both worried about him.

* * *

Derek sat waiting at the foot of the driveway to their now old house ensuring there was no activity for the past five minutes. Satisfied he wasn't about to be jumped by more goons or swarmed by fifty SWAT officers, he put his new truck in gear and headed up the driveway. Taking a moment to admire the increased power and torque of this engine over his last, he pulled up in front of the house in no time.

Double checking there was no activity, he jumped out of the truck and readied his handgun, the dead bodies still littering the driveway from earlier. He wasn't ready to be shot at twice in one day and wanted to make doubly sure it was clear before he got to work.

Quickly moving from body to body, the ones that weren't blown in half, he was satisfied that there was no threat and tucked his gun back in his jeans. Returning to his truck he pulled out a couple of duffel bags he'd picked up on the way over and took them in to the house. He started with the safe under the floorboards in the living room. Lifting the wood panels out from above it, he keyed in the code and opened the safe. He emptied the contents, cash, diamonds and USB sticks in to one of the pockets on the first duffel and closed it tight. Looking around, he saw nothing else of value in the room and couldn't think of anything on the entire floor that they'd need.

Quickly grabbing the bags he headed upstairs. He entered John's room first and immediately headed over to his desk where he slung his laptop and anything that was attached to it in to the bag. Following it quickly was any other computer equipment he recognised. A couple of hard drives and what he recognised to be the equipment John used to access the data on Terminator chips. Not realising how fragile the kit was, he dumped it all in the bag unceremoniously.

Next up he walked over to the closet and grabbed an armful of t-shirts and jeans and dumped them in the bag on top of the equipment. He then dug through a drawer and grabbed a few pairs of socks and boxers, just enough for a couple of days.

Stepping back out in to the hallway with one nearly full bag and an empty one, Derek briefly considered skipping Cameron's room all together. But then he remembered he'd already had one shouting match with John that day and was in no mood for another. Pushing the door open warily, not quite sure what he was expecting, after all he'd never been in the metal's room before. Half expecting to see torture devices and or something involving leather and possibly some sort of swing, he entered the room only to find a dresser, a closet and a bed, rather oddly with messed up sheets.

Brushing it aside, Derek focused on his task and started with the closet. He did the same as he'd done for John's and grabbed an armful of shirts and jeans, not being able to tell what she liked and not really caring. He stopped however when his hand came to rest on the purple leather jacket. He vaguely remembered retrieving it from their first house after the explosion and how much she was determined to get it back when it was stolen. Not wanting to be on the end of the cyborgs, and by proxy John's wrath, he grabbed the jacket off it's hanger and stuffed it in the bag.

Next came the decidedly unpleasant task of grabbing a handful of stuff out of her dresser drawer. He closed his eyes and pulled open the drawer, not wanting to see the contents. He dug his hand in and closed it in to a fist, grabbing a handful of frilly, lacy stuff in the process and stuffed it all in to the bag. Having successfully negotiated that task, he entered the bathroom joining their rooms. He picked up a few essentials, not realising that he'd also picked up Cameron's makeup bag and slung it all in to the duffel.

Next up came Sarah's room. He carried out much the same procedure as Cameron's room. Random clothes out of the closet and blindly fumbling around in her dresser and throwing a handful in to a bag. Doing the same in her bathroom, he was satisfied that he had enough crap to see them by for a few days. He made his way back downstairs and out to the truck. He placed the bags on the back seat and headed back inside.

Making his way around each weapons stash, under the sink, on top of the bookcase, he grabbed as many guns and as much ammunition as he could. Filling another bag almost to the top, he decided on a final sweep upstairs to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

Quickly scanning the rooms again, he once again failed to notice a pair of John's boxers hidden in amongst Cameron's sheets from their little get together that morning. He walked past what was once his room and stopped in his tracks.

_What the hell has she done to it?_

He stared at the awful and garish pink wallpaper that Amy had chosen and fought the urge to vomit. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a solitary stuffed bear propped up against one of the legs of the bed.

While he initially wanted to dismiss and ignore it, he suddenly realised he'd be better off applying the same policy to Amy's things as he had to Cameron's. That policy being that John doesn't like it when you don't treat the metal like a person, even a metal as deranged as this one. Huffing in irritation, he bent down and picked up the bear and stuffed it in the bag.

Throwing another quick glance around the room and finding nothing more of interest, he swiftly made his way back downstairs, out through the front door and placed the bags down in the bed of the truck.

Derek wasn't usually the sentimental type, but he cast one last glance towards the house before speeding off.

* * *

"Derek's back"

"What?"

"Derek's back"

"Oh…" Sarah dropped her chopsticks in the carton she was cradling and placed it on the nightstand. John had been drawn to the scent once it had been delivered. He'd came in, retrieved his carton and left just as quickly, not saying a word to anyone, even Cameron.

"…Does he still look pissed?"

Amy craned her neck just a little higher to get a better view out of the window.

"He has an arm full of guns…" she paused and turned back to Sarah "…That's not a good sign"

Sarah found herself nodding in agreement and taking a deep breath in preparation for an inevitable raised voice conversation.

The door clicked open and Derek backed in to the room like Santa Claus with an armful of presents. Even if his presents were assault rifles and shotguns the resemblance was striking, he even had the pudgy belly to go with it of late. Sarah watched as he gently placed the weapons on the closest bed, handling them as if they were fragile and precious. By contrast he unceremoniously swung the duffel bag off his shoulder and dumped it on Sarah's bed.

"I brought some stuff from the house, best I could manage anyway before an army of cops showed up"

Before Sarah had a chance to even move towards the bag, Amy had already bounded up on the bed and was digging through it like a kid on Christmas morning. Getting her entire head in the large bag, several items flew out as she raked for whatever goodies might be in there.

_Yeah, like Derek actually considered bringing anything for you._

Just as Sarah was about to reach out to try and console Amy, her head raised from out of the bag and her eyes lit up. The next thing Sarah knew, Amy had leaped off the bed and charged towards Derek. Probably a built in reaction to anything metal coming at him, but still embarrassing and funny as hell, Derek backed off in a panic until his backside came in to contact with the wall.

Amy flung her little arms around his waist and squeezed him tight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you"

Derek held his arms up in the air, clearly not comfortable with being hugged by the metal, even a little cute metal like this one. Before he could respond however, Amy had detached from him and flopped down cross legged on the floor nearby to play with her favourite Barney Bear.

"Thank you Derek" she said, flashing a toothy grin up at him.

"Uh, don't mention it" he said before fixing his jacket on his shoulders as manfully as possible given the circumstances.

Meanwhile Sarah had begun digging in the bag. Derek sauntered over just in time for Sarah to pull a bra out and quirk an eyebrow at him.

"Uh, I tried to get a good variety" he replied sheepishly.

"Yeah, just don't let Cameron know you touched her stuff. I get the feeling she's a little protective about what's hers"

Derek frowned and looked at Sarah quizzically and then back down to the bag.

"She really is protective isn't she. Remember that poor guy who stole her jacket, whatever happened to him?"

Sarah thought back to that night in the bowling alley with a shudder. "I didn't think they were like that, you know, liking stuff"

"Neither did I…" he paused for a moment as something Amy had flung out of the bag caught his eye and he nodded towards it "…but then again I didn't think they wore little red panties either"

With a shudder, Sarah leaned over and picked them up off the nightstand where they'd landed. She held them out at arms lengths between her thumb and forefinger, examining them like they might spontaneously combust.

"Yeah, I wonder what John sees in her" Sarah though out loud.

Of course Cameron chose that exact moment to enter the room from the bathroom. She surveyed the scene and found Derek hovering over a pile of her clothes and Sarah examining her underwear like it was a holy relic. She herself clad in only a towel with her hair dripping wet having just emerged from the shower. Usually she could go for extended periods without showering, but having brick dust in her hair was entirely unacceptable, not when she put so much time and effort in to getting it to look just right. It's the hardest part to get right after all.

Quirking an eyebrow at the scene before her, Cameron took a step further in to the room. "Is there something interesting about my underwear?" she inquired.

Accepting that the embarrassment would never really fade, Derek sighed. "I brought some stuff from the house" Cameron's head tilted to the side as she looked at Sarah examining her fifth favourite pair of panties.

Trying ever so hard not to let a smile slip through, Derek subtly took a step backwards out of the firing line. "There's some more of your stuff in the bag too"

Padding barefoot over to the bed, holding her towel up precariously with one hand. She dug through the bag with her one free hand when suddenly her eyes lit up in a fashion similar to Amy's a few moments ago.

"You brought my jacket?"

If Derek didn't know better he could've swore that she sounded both surprised and grateful.

"Uh yeah…" trying to sound nonchalant about it "…It was the first thing I put my hand on in your closet"

Staying silent for a moment, Cameron fingered the purple leather where it still lay in the bag before looking up at Derek.

"Thank you" she said sincerely before picking up a pair of jeans, a shirt, her makeup bag and plucking the panties out of Sarah's still outstretched hand and disappearing in to the bathroom to change.

Sarah and Derek looked at each other with a similar expression on their faces. If it could be classified as one word it would be 'surprised'.

Finally not being able to handle all this any more, Derek slumped down on to the spare bed by the open bag. The next thing he knew, Amy had hopped up beside him. Derek barely registered his presence as he stared at the now closed bathroom door.

"Does she buy all that stuff for John's benefit?" he asked, kind of in a daze.

"Nope…" Amy replied, looking up from her bear having heard the full conversation from her spot on the floor "…Would it surprise you to hear she likes all that stuff. Plus, they've only been together a little while, and she has a…distinct sense of taste"

Derek shrugged out of his daze and eyed the little machine next to him sceptically. "You're saying that she bought that thing that leaves so little to the imagination that it'd make Hugh Hefner blush, puts it on, and it never occurs to her that John's brain would turn to mush the moment he lays eyes on it?"

"Well, she's not stupid, of course she knows that. All I'm saying is she likes it for her own reasons too. I believe those panties 'accentuate her hips nicely and aren't visible above her waistline'" she recited while hooking her fingers in quote marks, obviously mimicking Cameron's previously spoken words as if they were foreign to her too.

Thinking back to something Jessica said to him the other day, Derek couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, women are like that" he drifted off as he fondly remembered his latest encounter with her.

Amy meanwhile had leaned away from him and was currently eyeing him with a look that could only be called disbelief. "You called her a woman…" she leaned in closer and lowered her voice "…are you feeling alright?"

Shaking his head suddenly, Derek remembered where he was and what he was doing. Looking down, he noticed Amy still clutching her bear in her hands.

"So, uh, what's the deal with the bear? Hiding a grenade in it?"

Amy replied with a frown. "No, it's Barney Bear, he's my friend. Say hello to Derek, Barney…hewwo" Amy said in a high pitched voice for the bear.

"Uh uh short round. I draw the line at talking to stuffed animals"

With a huff, Amy returned to playing with one of the bears paws. "Oh, Cameron said you were looking for me back at the house?"

Lowering his voice to avoid Sarah overhearing and glancing back to make sure she was thoroughly engrossed in her food, Derek leaned a little closer. "Yeah, I had a question I thought you might be able to answer…" he paused, not quite able to believe he was about to ask this "…I could use a favour"

Amy pulled back from her conspiratorial lean and eyed him warily. "Uh huuuuh"

"Can we take a walk?" he asked with a nod towards the direction of the door.

"Okaaaay" she replied slowly, still unsure as to what he could possibly want, and more to the point, why he wanted to hide it from Sarah.

"Getting more stuff from the truck" Derek called to Sarah as he stood. Sarah however was far too engrossed in whatever crappy show was on the tiny TV to pay much attention to him.

"Don't argue too much with her, you'll never win" she said back in Derek's general direction.

Derek opened the door with a smirk and held it open for Amy to pass through. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll sick Bobby Bear on me"

The next thing he knew he felt a sharp pain in his leg where her small fist had made contact with it. He looked down to find her folding her arms with a huff and pouting.

"His name is Barney"

"Alright, Barney it is, jeez" he replied closing the door behind him and trying not to wince or limp.

Amy however still looked less than impressed. "You wanted something?"

"Uh, yeah…" he walked towards his truck just to ensure there was a safe distance between them and the motel "…you're from the future right"

"Well, duh" Amy replied childishly.

Derek took a deep breath and reminded himself who and what he was talking to. There's a way to deal with Terminators that didn't involve grenades and derek was just getting used to that.

"You come from a different timeline than me right?"

Amy nodded.

"Well, do you think you could identify someone from the future? Say, a traitor…a grey?" he asked, deadly serious.

"Yeah I guess so. What's all this about?" Amy asked, her voice just as level and serious as his for once. It wasn't often that Derek had a security concern, but when he did it was usually worth paying attention.

"Well, I've met someone recently, and I just think it's a little too coincidental that suddenly we're under attack don't you agree?" this was certainly difficult for Derek to be asking, but he had to admit that it was a bit too good to be true.

"Alright then. Who is it?"

With a sigh, Derek closed his eyes. "Her name is Jessica Grey. She's a wealthy heiress, but that's about all I know about her. I me her recently and we've gotten…close"

With a small nod Amy accessed her internal database and ran a query on the name.

"I don't know anyone by that name…" a sudden thought occurred to her "…It could be a fake name. Do you have a picture?"

"I thought you might ask that…" Derek dug in to his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He realised a name wouldn't be enough and had quietly snagged a photo off Jessica's desk before he left the last time he was there. He held it out to Amy who took it and examined it closely "…That's her. So, you recognise her?"

Amy looked at the picture and listened to his voice and understood why Derek was concerned, as evidenced by the hopefulness as he asked. The woman certainly was beautiful and he sounded like he really cared for her. She ran a facial recognition scan and looked back up at Derek.

"I've never seen her before. She's not on any of my Grey target lists" she replied evenly before looking back at the picture.

Derek breathed a sigh of relief. "You're sure?" he asked, wanting to be absolutely certain. He wasn't sure how he'd feel if he found out he'd let his feelings put the Connor's in danger.

"I'm sure…" she answered gently "…she's pretty, who is she?" Amy inquired.

Derek reached out and took the picture back. He scanned it quickly before putting it back in his wallet.

"She's uh…she's a friend" he replied cautiously.

"A friend huh…" Amy let him sweat for a little before the corner of her mouth quirked up in a mischievous smile "…does she always dress like that?"

Derek felt his cheeks turn crimson. In his rush he'd picked up a modelling shot rather than a personal picture. In hindsight he probably should've doctored it a little before displaying it to Amy, but he'd just assumed that a little lingerie wouldn't make any difference to the machine.

"Um, yeah, a friend. She's a model, that's why…you know"

"Oh, let me get this straight. You, Derek Reese have managed to bag yourself not only a wealthy heiress, but a one who is pretty enough to be a model?"

Derek couldn't help it any more. Now that he was in the clear with regards to this being another Jesse/Riley situation he allowed himself a smug smile at his good fortune. He'd found a girl who was rich, pretty, nice and she loved everything that made Derek, well, Derek. Now the news that she wasn't a plant to seduce him and gain access to the Connor's was the final cherry on the icing.

"Yeah" he answered through a grin.

"What does she see in you?" Amy inquired out of sheer curiosity. She wasn't exactly well versed in human mating rituals but even she knew that Derek was a bit of a stretch for any woman.

Finally remembering who he was talking to, Derek wiped the grin off hi face and turned around to pull a bag out of the bed of his truck. He dumped it unceremoniously in Amy's arms and hefted another over his shoulder.

"Come on Short Round, take this stuff inside"

Amy frowned and did as instructed. Half way to the motel door, she heard him mumble something mostly incoherent that sounded like 'fuck it'.

"Thank you…and do me a favour, keep this quiet?" he asked sincerely from behind her. Amy smiled and continued on her path to the door.

"No problem…Uncie Derek"

* * *

After pulling on a fresh pair of jeans, a shirt and the red panties her future mother in law had just been examining, Cameron exited the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Sarah inquired from her spot on the bed. Cameron was actually impressed with the older woman's senses as her eyes still remained closed.

"Next door. John needs me" she replied matter of factly.

"Oh no, I told you, girls in here, boys next door" she finally allowed her eyes to open and noticed Cameron dressed and with still damp hair, but didn't fail to notice the light application of makeup.

_Uh huh…_

"But John will be upset if I don't join him. I've decided that for him to become more proficient and to prevent him from losing sleep that we must make love every night before he sleeps"

If Sarah had been drinking something she'd have choked on it. She stared wide mouthed at the cyborg, outrage clouding her brain. But, she'd vowed to herself and John that she would be treating Cameron as her son's girlfriend and not just the metal, Sarah took a deep calming breath and spoke softly, although with a distinct aggressive undertone to it.

"I beg your pardon"

"I'm going next door to be with my boyfriend. I understand you laid out ground rules but these are exceptional circumstances"

Willing to concede that Cameron had remembered her rules and was willing to abide by them, Sarah decided a different tactic was necessary.

"What are you gonna do Cameron? Order Derek out of the room so you can have some privacy? Yeah, I can't see Derek going for that" she stopped short of adding 'young lady' on to the end of that.

Cameron tilted her head in that infuriatingly annoying way of hers. Sarah could practically see the hamster wheel or whatever it was that powered her brain working in overdrive.

"I had intended on asking him politely to leave"

"And if he refuses?" she inquired, still not allowing her irritation to boil over.

"Then I will ask him less politely. John is more important than Derek's ego"

Well, she had to give her that one. Cameron really did have John's best interests at heart. It still confused her though why she was so insistent on going to him right now.

"This is necessary right now, why?"

Cameron looked at Sarah like she was a small child, and spoke as if talking to one to Sarah's eternal annoyance.

"I've already told you. I've discovered that John sleeps deeply after we copulate. He's had a stressful day, I need to ensure he's fresh for the morning. We have a busy day tomorrow" sound reasoning on her part.

Sarah however wasn't moved.

"He's slept fine for seventeen years before he had sex with you, he can manage" she nodded, firmly believing that was the end of the conversation. Cameron however had other ideas.

"He sleeps deeper and longer whenever I'm with him. He also doesn't have nightmares whenever I'm present" her last statement was punctuated with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Sarah's train of thought became totally derailed upon hearing that. He always had nightmares when he was younger, she'd just assumed he'd eventually grow out of them.

"He has…nightmares?" she inquired, her voice small and timid.

"Yes, much the same as you do"

There it was, a simple comment from the cyborg brought Sarah's irritation racing back to the surface. She didn't much appreciate being spied on, or however it was that she collected her data. Either way it was decidedly unwelcome for Sarah.

"We're not talking about me" she practically growled.

Cameron wasn't phased.

"Would you prefer we had sex in here? You could tuck me in beforehand if it would make you feel better" she asked, admittedly not considering how much she was pushing Sarah. As far as she was concerned John's wellbeing took priority over everything else. He needed her, she'd be there for him, no matter the obstacle, even an obstacle as difficult as Sarah Connor.

Shooting an unamused glare at Cameron's direction, Sarah had to stop herself from yelling. "You're really pushing it Cameron…" she took a deep breath but was still simmering "…I understand that you're trying to help John, but the last thing he needs is more stress, which is what will happen if you and I start fighting"

Cameron found herself nodding at Sarah's logic and reasoning. After all, they were both concerned about the same thing.

"I don't wish for us to fight…what do you suggest?"

Taking a moment to consider, Sarah looked down at the cheap and nasty bedspread. Taking in to account John's foul mood when he arrived and the gravity of the entire situation she had to admit that spending time with his girlfriend was exactly what he needed. He didn't need his mommy at that moment, he needed his woman. She didn't know what went on at the house, but she was willing to bide her time and let John fill her in when he felt ready to.

However looking back up at Cameron and her appearance, it seemed the cyborg had only one thing on her mind and it didn't involve much talking.

"Are you sure it's the sex?" she asked as she shuffled about uncomfortably "…Can't we compromise?"

Cameron likewise took a moment to consider Sarah's suggestion. It wasn't unreasonable for her to want to protect her son but also enforce her rules. They were rules after all.

"I believe we can come to an agreement. Would you like me and Derek to swap beds? That way I can be close to him and not violate your wishes" she offered as an olive branch.

Thinking about it for a moment, Sarah had to admit, it made sense. She was still torn about the thought of her baby boy suffering with nightmares the way she did, knowing full well the effects it had on her mental wellbeing. She had no desire to see him suffer. If Cameron thought she could help simply by being close then she wasn't going to deny it.

"Listen, Derek will probably spend most of the night in the truck. He has some weird…thing going on with his trucks. Anyway, when he does come back in I don't think he'll care if you share a bed with John. But I do think he'd appreciate it if you both kept your clothes on"

Cameron couldn't help but be surprised at Sarah's reasonableness. She thought she wouldn't even accept her proposal, never mind make it even sweeter for her. Grasping at the offer before it was withdrawn, Cameron nodded.

"Very well. I promise we won't have sex…but thank you for allowing me to spend the night with him" she added, hoping to convey how sincere she was being and how much she did actually appreciate it.

"Good…" Sarah replied with a nod, actually moved a little by the cyborgs words "…and make sure he's up bright and early, like you said, we have a busy day tomorrow. Understand?"

"I do" with that, she turned gracefully on her heel and walked towards the door, stopping only to pick up an armful of clean clothes for John. Were it not for a deft dodge, she probably would've had her face smacked as the door swung open and Amy bounced in looking inordinately happy, closely followed by Derek. Cameron paid them no mind as she stepped out and closed the door quietly behind her.

Amy bounded over and crawled up on Sarah's bed after dropping her bag on the floor and sat back on her haunches. Sarah merely quirked an eyebrow at her exuberant behaviour and looked over as Derek ducked back out of the room.

"What?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Nnnothiiiing" she replied with a coy smile.

"Come on, it must be something. I know that look, it's the same look John used to get whenever he had a secret" Sarah said, her years of parenting experience coming to the fore on this rare occasion.

"Well…" Amy considered spilling the beans, but then thought about the immense fun she could have with her new six foot plaything known as Derek Reese "…nothing"

She hopped back down off the bed and skipped back over to the door. She cast a glance back over her shoulder before stepping out to guard the perimeter.

"Night night Sarah"

As she closed the door with an unnecessary slam, Sarah idly wondered just how her life had taken this turn in to something so domestic.

On the other side of the door, Amy continued her skipping along the path outside the rooms. While she wasn't happy with having to change from her preferred form for the night, it wouldn't do for an eight year old to be wandering around a shady motel, she was happy in the knowledge that she was protecting not only Sarah but John, Cameron and even Derek for the night. Making her way past what she was sure was once a flowerbed, she settled on her spot for the night, a high level security camera mount that would support her weight where she could keep an eye on the entire surrounding area.

When she made to change form to climb the pole, she felt a distinct discomfort run throughout her body.

_What the hell?_

Dismissing it as a minor glitch, she tried again and felt nothing as she extended her arm to slither up the pole and pulled the rest of her now liquid metal body up its length.

_There, that's better._

Not quite knowing what had happened, she settled in to her watch for the night before turning her imagination to how she wanted her room decorating in their new house.

* * *

Tucking an errant pant leg back up in to the bundle of clothes in her arm, Cameron took a moment to compose herself before she entered the room where John was. She looked back over her shoulder to find Derek, or more specifically his ass poking out from behind the back door of his new truck. Apparently the back seat needed a close inspection before it met his exacting standards.

Giving her hair one last flick with her free hand, she reached out and knocked softly on the door in front of her before opening it slowly and stepping across the threshold. She closed the door behind her with a soft click and turned around. The room was a typical layout for a motel, two separate beds. On the one closest to her sat Derek's duffel bag, then her eyes drifted over to the far bed where John currently lay, curled up facing away from her.

"John?" she asked in a small, gentle voice.

Hearing no reply and seeing no response, she took the few short steps over to the dresser and laid the clean clothes she'd gathered for him down on top of it. She chanced taking a couple of steps closer to the bed.

"John?" a little more forcefully this time.

Once again she received no discernible response. She wasn't quite sure what she should do, after all, all this was decidedly new to her. She'd never seen her John acting this way, since they'd been together he'd always been generally happy and cheerful. While she was sure that was in fact because they were together, she now felt at a loss over how to help him.

Settling for what she knew best, her decision was made. Unbuttoning her jeans and letting them pool around her ankles with a small shimmy, she stepped out of them and picked them up. While most people including John would leave them there, Cameron was far more considerate of her possessions and cleanliness. She picked them up, folded them neatly and placed them on top of the dresser next to John's.

Standing there in only her shirt and panties, she was satisfied that she wouldn't violate any of Sarah's rules and that Derek wouldn't be offended by her state of dress. Returning to the side of the single bed, she lifted the covers and slipped in behind John and draped an arm over him.

"John?" her soft voice had now returned.

Instead of speaking, John merely rolled over to face her. Cameron lifted her arm off him while he turned and withdrew it back towards herself. She hovered and hesitated, not sure as to the next course of action. She was just about to open her mouth to speak when John moved towards her.

Instead of kissing her as she'd been expecting, which she would've been forced to put a stop to before it got too far, he encircled her in his arms and pulled himself closer to her. His legs tangled in hers and he nestled his head in her chest. Taken aback by his actions and clearly not expecting it, Cameron didn't know how to react. She held her arms out above her head, unsure if she should be touching him or not. She'd never seen this behaviour from him before, clinging to her as if he were a small child.

Finally deciding on a course of action, Cameron slowly lowered her hands and wrapped them around him in much the same way he held her. Gently moving her hand up and down his back in a gesture she hoped was comforting, she laid her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. Through the sensors in her fingertips, she detected his heart rate slowing and his breathing settle. Pretty soon he'd be asleep and she knew her job was done. Just before drifting off, John shifted and pulled her even tighter to him.

"Love you"

That was it, two little words before he fell asleep. It comforted Cameron to know that he appreciated her efforts and that she'd done the right thing, and it comforted her even more to know that he was in a better mental state than she'd anticipated.

* * *

**A little shorter chapter this time, apologies for that. Props as always to Dekardkain for helping me out with this chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys,**

**Thanks to reviewers Steel_Dragon_64, kaotic2, TCandBTVSluver, CloudyShadows, olischulu, TK-MR, lee443, sasha starr, Nyrki, darkfinder and XxDeathStarxX.**

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Despite his relatively crappy life so far and the prospect of each day bringing the end of the world just that much closer, John Connor had usually enjoyed waking up. It was the moment in the day he most enjoyed and almost always savoured it. There were of course exceptions, usually when his mother was hovering at the foot of his bed in that creepy way of hers. Recently his enjoyment of the moment when he first opened his eyes had been increased by the prospect of waking up to the sight of his girlfriend every morning. Today however, even Cameron's beautiful face wasn't enough to bring a smile to his.

Opening his eyes with an unusually loud groan and immediately screwing them shut, John buried his head further in to Cameron's chest. Well, he pulled himself closer with one arm, the other severely lacking feeling from her not insignificant weight lying on it all night. As a byproduct of him closing his eyes, he failed to notice the frown and look of concern on her face. Once again not quite knowing how to proceed, Cameron ventured speaking in a very soft voice.

"John?"

At barely above a whisper, most people however would have struggled to hear her clearly. John however groaned again and pulled back from her and did his best to roll away. Now lying flat on his back, he managed to extricate his now useless arm from beneath her torso. Using his still functional arm he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and took a few moments to compose himself before re-opening them. He looked sidelong and found Cameron still waiting patiently for a response from him. He gave it in the form of rolling back in to an embrace with her and forcing a tired looking smile up at her.

He'd had a lot to think about before she'd came in the night before and the conclusions he reached weren't exactly positive and inspiring. Having analysed the previous day, he'd created a bullet point list in his mind of his activities.

1, Shot at Derek.

2, Totally froze up in the heat of combat.

3, Shot at Derek.

4, Had to be bailed out by his girlfriend and his uncle.

5, SHOT AT DEREK.

All in all it was a less then impressive list for the future leader of mankind to be making for himself. He'd reached the conclusion that he was totally unprepared and probably a little disrespectful of the approaching apocalypse. He'd thought he was ready. He'd worn the big boy pants with his mother over his love for Cameron, that alone would have scared the living piss out of him a couple of years ago, standing up to Sarah like that. He felt he'd become a man, the man that would lead the human race to ultimate victory over the machines. Yesterdays events had laid those thoughts to rest as he'd SHOT AT HIS UNCLE.

If Derek was pissed at him then that paled in comparison to how he felt about himself. Some of the other conclusions he'd came to were no more encouraging than his list. He'd deemed himself unworthy of leadership, unworthy of the Connor fighting spirit and perhaps most worrying, he found himself to be unworthy of the love of a certain cyborg. Now as he looked up at her and saw the look of concern and adoration on her face, his guilt only deepened at the thought that he'd somehow let her down.

"You stayed?" he asked, his voice sounding as parched as his throat felt.

Her head tilting to the side, made all the more comical by her position on the pillow, she looked at him like he'd just asked her if her hair was brown.

"Of course…" still not quite understanding why he'd asked the question in the first place, she clarified her statement "…why would I leave you?"

_Why would you stay?_

Wrangling his own thoughts in to order, John couldn't help but shudder as her question hit awfully close to the root of his fears. Instead of replying coherently and intelligently, he settled for a mixture of an emo and self loathing response.

"I guess I just don't see any reason for you to stay with a loser like me" he said with a shrug by way of an apology.

Cameron's brow creased together tighter than it had done a few moments ago, his statement making no sense and surprisingly causing her quite a bit of annoyance. It seemed that her initial assessment of his mental wellbeing the night before was way off the mark.

"You're not a loser…" seeking to find a way to assure him, she searched her databanks for something appropriate "…you're John Connor"

That was just what he needed to hear at that moment, and to him it pretty much proved his point. He shuffled around in the small bed and laid a hand on her bare thigh and took a deep breath.

"Exactly. I'm John Connor by virtue of having the same name as him. I haven't done much else to earn that distinction so far. I mean, I suck at everything apart from apparently being able to woo you, and I'm not even sure how the hell I managed to do that. I froze up yesterday, I should've been the one to take charge and lead us out of there, instead it had to be Derek. Oh, and I shot at him by the way"

Pausing only to shake his head remorsefully, John continued on his self deprecating rant.

"You say I'm not a loser because I'm John Connor, well then I guess that the great John Connor isn't all he's cracked up to be. I'm not ready for this Cameron, I can't handle what's coming. I need to do something about it"

Cameron observed him for a moment before allowing her hand to come to rest on top of his where it currently had a death grip on her thigh. She gently massaged the back of his fingers until she felt his grip loosen and she took his hand in her own. She detected his erratic breathing start to even out and the panicked look in his eyes and on his face slowly start to leave, replaced by a look of sheer despondence and disappointment.

Choosing one of two options she felt was best, she gave his hand a small squeeze to get his attention.

"What do you plan to do?"

John himself had two options. He could fight, he could lead and become _the_ man he wanted to be. Or he could run away, hide and be just _a_ man he wanted to be. As much as he wanted to choose the latter of those options, he knew he'd never forgive himself. More pointedly, he didn't want to lose Cameron. If he chose to run away he had no doubt that she'd eventually agree to come with him, but he had a feeling their relationship would be irrevocably ruined by his cowardice.

Taking a determined breath he raised his eyes to meet hers. This was one of the few times since she'd been sent back to the past to protect him that she'd seen the famous John Connor fire in her John's eyes.

"I'm going to become the man everyone needs me to be. I'm going to fight Skynet. I'm going to earn the name and legend of John Connor, not just have it bestowed on me…" he paused and ran his hand up on to her flank and if anything looked even more determined "…I'm going to earn your respect"

Stopping herself from reminding him that she didn't need any convincing and that she was in the process of slowly sorting through her newfound feelings she had for him, Cameron instead chose to encourage him on the path he'd chosen.

"How do you wish to proceed?"

Feeling suddenly embarrassed at having reeled off that speech without stopping to think and formulate a real plan, John frowned, not really knowing what he wanted to do.

"Well…first things first I guess. I need to learn how not to freeze up as soon as the shooting starts, that would be a nice start" he said somewhat sheepishly, the determination and little adrenaline rush from earlier having dissipated.

Cameron found herself nodding in agreement.

"Training, you need to condition not only your body but more importantly your mind to cope with what you'll need to do" she stated just a little too mechanically for even her own liking.

John couldn't help but agree with her logic as the wheels started turning in his mind. The possibility of turning himself in to some sort of Rambo was certainly appealing to him. Also, the thought of doing a little physical exercise with Cameron certainly got his blood pumping in his veins.

"Alright, so where do we start? I guess I need to do a little stamina training right? Yeah, of course I do, maybe if we…"

She silenced him very effectively by suddenly leaning forward and sealing his lips with her own. After a moment of contact, she pulled back and looked at his dumbstruck face with an amused expression.

"May I make a suggestion?" she asked through a smile.

John merely nodded, too caught off guard by her to do much else.

"Consider asking Derek to teach you"

Shaking his head to try and focus on something besides the way her lips formed in to a delicious pout almost automatically, John found himself becoming slightly confused.

"Derek, why?" he inquired, convinced learning from Cameron was a more appealing option.

"I could teach you how to aim and how to shoot, but you already know that. Sarah taught you well in that regard. What I can't teach you is how to fight machines in a manner other than throwing them through walls. Which unfortunately you can't do…" she paused as he chuckled "…Derek can teach you to fight the way you taught him in the future, how to fight like a resistance soldier. He can condition your mind to work the way it needs to in the heat of battle. I can't do that"

John put aside how mind boggling the complexities of time travel were, the thought of him being taught the same tactics by a man that learned from himself was just too much for any one mind to think about that early in the morning. Instead he settled for nodding in agreement with her sound suggestion.

"I'll talk to him. Actually I think he'd probably get a kick out of it…" John tossed aside how accurate that assessment was and smiled at Cameron "…Hey, I love you. I still don't know what I've done to deserve you"

Instead of replying verbally, Cameron simply leaned in and pressed her lips to his again. She pulled back, or rather tried to when she felt his hand snake around to the back of her head and tangle in her hair before he pulled himself closer and his lips found hers again. Before she felt the usual sensations that preceded her motor controls giving way to her desires, she forcefully pulled back and looked at him sternly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried that he'd somehow upset her.

"I promised Sarah we wouldn't have sex. That's a promise I intend to keep…" she paused and spoke again with a slight hint of mischief in her voice "…I won't let you corrupt me John Connor"

Feeling a familiar stirring rise within him, John merely let out a low throaty growl and practically pounced on her, his momentum, her relaxed state and the limited space on the single bed causing them both to tumble out and land on the floor in a tangled heap of arms and legs. Luckily for John she'd hit the floor first and absorbed most of the impact, leaving him clear headed enough to attack her tongue with his.

* * *

It didn't take much to wake Sarah Connor up on a morning, but the very loud thud from the room next door would have woken an animal in hibernation. Luckily for her though she'd been awake for the best part of an hour sipping on her coffee trying to make the best use of John's laptop from the limited knowledge she had. Using the touchpad with one finger and having to look down whenever she needed to click, she did her best to search for houses to rent that were big enough and met most of their stringent needs. She reached out and picked up a pen to add to her list of possibly suitable properties and tried her best to ignore what was inevitably happening next door.

As she'd predicted Cameron had kept her promise to the best of her knowledge the night before. That knowledge was owing to the paper thin walls and by the way she had pretty much been listening for any telltale noises until she'd fallen asleep long after John had. Now however her son had apparently worked his magic once again and the cyborg had chosen to indulge him.

Shivering slightly at the thought of what was going on next door, she couldn't help but feel sorry for poor Derek who currently lay sprawled out on the room's other bed, still mostly clothed. He'd came in the night before, mumbled something about machines before flopping face down on the bed and staying that way until now. Apparently he was as unhappy with the thought of his nephew and a machine getting it on as she was. Usually the older guy in the family was delighted that his younger male family was getting some. Evidently Cameron didn't class as 'some' in his eyes.

Just as Sarah drained the last of her coffee and set back to work on using the infernal machine in front of her, another more user friendly machine entered the room and slammed the door unnecessarily behind her. Derek stirred just slightly before slipping back in to a deep sleep. The next thing she knew Amy had climbed up on to her bed and had snuggled in to her side.

"Whatcha doooin'?" she asked in an annoyingly cutesy voice, made all the worse by the fact that she knew full well exactly what Sarah was doing.

Choosing to indulge her instead of questioning her question, Sarah concentrated on her nemesis, the touchpad and pulled up a picture of the house she'd just added to her list.

"I'm looking for houses…see anything you like?" she asked while shuffling the laptop over so Amy could see.

Amy merely scrunched up her face in a look reminiscent of a bored child.

"So long as it has a room for me then that's all I care about"

Forgetting herself for a second, Sarah replied without thinking.

"Of course there's a room for you…"

_She's a machine, she's a machine, she's a machine._

"…I mean it'd be pretty weird if anyone came by and didn't find a room for a little girl right?" she quickly covered her slip by stammering out some on the spot logic.

"Uh, yeah, right…" Amy looked a little less than pleased at Sarah's attitude and hopped down off the bed "…When are we going?"

"Well I figure as soon as Derek over there manages to wake himself up…" as if on cue Derek stirred in his sleep "…and as soon as Cameron is finished with my son I'm sure they'll stop by to say hello or something"

Nodding slowly, Amy walked around to the other side of Derek's bed, crouched down behind it and reappeared a moment later. Sarah watched as Amy climbed up on the bed and crawled up so she was level with Derek's head. Tilting her head in curiosity, Sarah couldn't quite imagine what she was planning. Lately it seemed like Derek had become Amy's favourite new plaything, something he was decidedly unhappy about.

Amy produced something from her hand and dangled it on the very tip of Derek's nose. Squinting through the morning light, Sarah just about made out that it was a pair of Cameron's panties that had been flung out of the bag the night before. There they were, dangling from Amy's outstretched hand and tickling his nose.

Derek automatically reached out a hand to swat the offending item away with his eyes still closed. What neither Amy nor Sarah was expecting however was for him to mumble in his semi awake state.

"Not now babe…"

Either he was in the middle of a pleasant dream or he thought he was somewhere else, either way, Sarah didn't really feel very fond of either possibility. Amy meanwhile couldn't control her giggling and dangled the bright blue panties in front of him again. This time however he woke up instead of just swatting them away. His sleep fuddled brain was unable to put two and two together at first, which is why he rolled over expecting to find Jessica, only to find Amy kneeling next to his head dangling something stringy right in front of his eyes.

_Wait…the only thing that's stringy in this place is…oh my god._

Leaping out of bed with speed a Terminator would be proud of, Derek instantly rounded on his assailant with nothing short of bewilderment in his eyes.

"What the fuck? Ewww, ewww, I so did not need that. Ugh…" he said as he headed in the bathroom, probably to scrub his face with bleach and or acid.

Sarah and Amy looked at each other, held each other's eyes for a moment before Sarah's shoulders started to shake. The corners of Amy's lips quirked up a tiny amount which only sent Sarah's downward spiral in to a laughing fit all the quicker. Pretty soon she was laughing harder than she had in years over her little friend's torture of Derek.

Amy sat back on her haunches and flashed Sarah a toothy grin. Sarah couldn't help but once again forget who or rather what it was that was sitting in the room with her and smiled back.

* * *

"So what's the plan for today?" Derek asked around a mouthful of toast.

Sarah scowled at his less than gentlemanly table manners. But then again he was probably the best of a bad bunch sitting at that particular table in the diner that morning. When John and Cameron had finally wrapped up their morning escapades, they'd came next door and John had declared he was hungry. She could hardly blame him, that much physical activity was sure to tax even a young body.

So there she sat with her own little dysfunctional family. Derek tying to scarf his breakfast down as if it would be snatched away at any moment, John with his plate of bacon and eggs he was picking at, being too busy making eyes at Cameron next to him to make any major inroads in to it. The cyborg had her own plate in front of her that was totally untouched, apparently she was content to nibble at bits of bacon from John's plate.

But the really odd thing was that Amy had her own plate in front of her. While she wasn't designed to eat and digest the food, she'd assured Sarah she could make it look like she was for infiltration purposes. However boiled eggs and toasty soldiers may have been a bad choice as she seemed to get more egg on her cheeks than she got in her mouth. Sarah frowned, still not quite able to fathom out Amy, even in the slightest.

Turning to address Derek, who vaguely resembled Popeye with his full cheeks, Sarah slipped in to leader mode.

"Well first off we need to find somewhere to live. I've drawn up a list. I think they all match your security needs Cameron…" at the cyborg's nod, Sarah continued "…Then we need to regroup, find out who this guy is and what he's up to"

John nodded in agreement while idly picking at his eggs.

"Tell me more about him. What did he want, what did he say?"

Sarah nodded as she recalled the details of their meeting. Amy seemed far too occupied with tackling her eggs to explain all this with her perfect memory.

"He seemed…devoted. He has a cause and he believes in it, no matter how much of a lunatic that makes him. He actually believes Skynet is some sort of god and that Judgement Day is some sort of biblical thing"

"Sounds like a grade A religious nutbar" Derek contributed helpfully.

Sarah glared pointedly at his unhelpful comment and frankly still pig like table manners.

"We can't ignore this guy. He's cool, he's calm, he's organised and he believes. That makes him dangerous, it makes him a threat"

"I agree…" Cameron said with a nod "…In the future, the humans loyal to Skynet are deemed by John to be a bigger threat than what remains of Skynet's forces"

"How so?" John asked, genuinely curious as to how his future self came to that conclusion.

"Humans can't be programmed, they can't be turned to another side as easily as machines. If they believe in something, that makes them dangerous" she said somewhat ominously.

"Greys…" Derek once again contributed "…That's what these guys are. They're Greys, traitors. Doesn't matter what they believe, they need to be dealt with" he said resolutely, obviously having no tolerance for humans who desert their own species for the easy way out.

The mood at the table dropped like a stone. For the human at least, Amy still seemed highly amused with her breakfast while she watched the diner's other occupants.

"What did he say?" John asked, trying not to get bogged down.

"He wants us, or rather you, to give up, to not fight Skynet. He called it repentance for the sin of opposing Skynet"

"Is that all?" he asked after a moment's contemplation.

"Well, he knows about machines, about Amy, about Cameron…" Sarah hesitated, unsure how he might take the next part.

"What?" he asked, not liking at all the way she stopped mid sentence.

"He knows about you and Cameron. Apparently he's been watching you two lately"

The sinking feeling John felt deep down in his gut had returned full force. The new found determination and will seemed to desert him all of a sudden. Not only was this guy now gunning for him, but his relationship with Cameron wasn't a secret any more. While he was sure she could take care of herself, he didn't feel any better about the possibility of someone using her to get to him. Suddenly his previous idea of running away seemed all the more appealing as long as he could take her with him.

This man, this Alejandro Vasquez was offering him a way out of the war, a way to live in peace. It was an incredibly tempting offer. But John took one look at Derek and saw the look of sheer disgust on his face when he was talking about the Greys. These people were the scum of the Earth according to him and were nothing more than something to be scraped off your boot after you've dealt with them.

John took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Almost as if she could read his mind and knew exactly what to do in that moment, John felt Cameron's hand slide its way on to his knee and give it a gentle squeeze. Smiling above the table in her direction and snaking his hand in to hers underneath the table, John pushed aside all thoughts of the man's offer and felt that sense of determination return.

He looked at Derek just as he finished mopping up the last of his eggs with his fork.

"Okay, here's what we do. We find out who this guy is and how he's so connected. We find out what he's planning to do and when he's gonna do it. Until we know all that, we carry on. We prep for Judgment Day, that means weapons, supplies, locations and allies. Derek…" he paused to make sure he had his uncle's full attention "…I messed up the other day. That needs to stop happening. You're going to help me stop it from happening, you're going to teach me everything you know about being a soldier in the resistance. If I'm gonna do this, if we're gonna do this then we need to be prepared"

Derek nodded with a determination rarely seen from him. When he was given an order, you could be sure he'd carry it out to the best of his abilities. The whole table had ground to a halt. Even Amy had stopped and seemed to listen and watch on in awe as John Connor gave his orders.

"Mom, the last time we tried to buy weapons we ended up embroiled in a fight which didn't end too well. I'll contact our new friend Ms. Weaver and ask her about obtaining weapons. Her company must have some big government contracts. Getting the type of weapons we'll need shouldn't be too difficult for her…" just as it looked like Sarah was about to protest, John cut her off with a wave of his hand "…What I would like you to do is to recruit our army. Use your contacts, find trustworthy people, believers to help us when the time comes"

Sarah nodded, wondering where her son had found this sense of leadership from all of a sudden. She had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the threat to Cameron more than anything else. But he was still her baby boy, she still had a job to do.

"And Amy…" he made sure he had her full attention, which he took as a sign he did when she put her toast down and looked right at him "…Keep mom safe" he said with a smirk aimed squarely at his mother. Amy didn't help Sarah's sudden embarrassment by flashing John a grin and a salute.

"Alright everyone, let's watch our backs. We don't need these people finding us again"

With that, every one nodded and assumed the meeting was over.

"Derek, you up for training me?" he asked, still with an air of authority about him.

"Yeah, what I have in mind is…" he never got a chance to finish that answer as John cut him off.

"Great, we'll start in the morning…thanks"

Derek nodded and stood. He intended to leave and prepare for what was about to come, that meant supplies and equipment. Sarah also stood and followed him out of earshot, well, John's earshot anyway.

"Derek, um, listen. I think it'd be better if you move in to the new house with us, properly I mean…for security"

Derek wasn't an idiot, he knew there was more to her request than security reasons. Sarah Connor does not stammer out requests, she barks out orders. If she was rattled enough to be asking him like this, something else must be bothering her. Probably the fact that this guy was a real threat to John and had deeply got to her. Finding himself nodding in agreement, Derek laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, no problem…" he removed his hand from her shoulder and stood back to his full height "…For security. I'll be in the truck when you people are ready to go look for this house"

"Uh, yeah, of course…" she replied, just as business like "…Thanks"

With a nod, Derek turned and left the diner bound for his truck still parked in the motel parking lot. Sarah returned to the table to find John and Cameron in quiet conversation. Almost on autopilot, she picked up a napkin off the table and bent down to clean up Amy's cheeks. It seemed like the right thing to do, after all, in public Sarah was the girl's 'mother'. If anyone noticed the behaviour they didn't say anything. Instead, everyone stood pretty much in unison and wordlessly made their way out of the diner, intent on finding their new home and starting their new mission.

* * *

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes" Amy reinforced her argument this time with her hands on her hips.

"I said no, is your hearing broken?" Derek asked in disbelief, obviously pissed off he was having this argument in the first place.

"And I said yes, is your brain broken?"

"Hey, Short Round, my brain is just fine, but you're even crazier than I thought if you think I'm gonna let you take the big room" he said with a resolute shake of his head.

Amy had a foolproof argument to come back with, using her knowledge of his new relationship.

"Why shouldn't I have the big room? You're never here anyway" she said, raising her voice slightly more than usual.

"Well, let's see…" he paused to count on his fingers "…One, I actually _need_ a room, you know, to sleep. Two, The other room has two windows facing the street, I'm not playing sniper bait every night before bed…" he stopped and that infuriating Reese smirk grew on his face "…Oh, and I deserve the _big_ room because I'm not two feet tall"

Amy had to stop herself from kicking him in the shins in frustration. Sometimes this man was impossible to deal with.

"Three feet"

"Whatever" he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Anyway, I need all the room for my stuff" she argued as she tried to step closer to the door to the room in question. However Derek blocked her path in the hallway.

"What stuff? I'm pretty sure you and Bernie could fit in to a mailbox if you tried hard enough" he wasn't sure even how he'd gotten himself in to this argument in the first place. It was actually quite comical. Both he and Amy had tried to enter the door at the same time and had bumped in to each other. Then followed a polite discussion about what the other was doing. Just how that devolved in to a 'yes' 'no' argument he wasn't quite sure.

"Hey, his name is Barney…are you sure your brain isn't broken?"

The pair squared up to each other, Amy looking up, Derek looking down. While he knew it would be no contest, he was reasonably sure she wouldn't try anything, and while she was confident it would be no contest, she didn't want to harm her plaything.

The two stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, when in reality it was closer to thirty seconds. Derek stared at Amy, Amy stared at Derek. Simultaneously both let out a loud cry and looked down the hallway.

"Sarah!"

The pair turned back to each other with a glare, obviously both expecting the person in charge to side with them. They maintained their staring contest as Sarah came out of the room she'd chosen, Cameron rounded the corner from her patrol and John emerged from his new room, all drawn by the commotion.

The family had been lucky enough to stumble upon their ideal property at the first try. It met all of Cameron's strict security needs, all of Sarah's preferences, most notably five rooms and it met Derek's need of having a basement big enough for a pool table. Plus Amy liked the white picket fence, so it was an all round winner.

Derek and Amy both broke off their staring contest to look at the new arrivals, Derek focusing on John in particular, suddenly miffed they had an audience for their little spat.

"Oh, so now your reflexes work? I guess you don't need my help at all huh?" he asked, staring squarely at John, unsure why he was lashing out and why Amy had the ability to get under his skin so easily.

Before John or even Cameron had a chance to reply, Amy took a step forward and slapped Derek across his thighs.

"Hey, leave him alone…" she turned towards Sarah, ignoring Derek's glare "…Sarah, I want the big room, but Grizzly Adams here wants it for himself. Tell him it's mine" she asked with a pout and big puppy dog eyes.

"Oh no, no no no no…" he shoved Amy aside and stepped in front of her, blocking her from Sarah's view "…You are not pulling that cute little girl act now. You wanted me to move back in with the family, and I need the room. The other one is a death trap"

Almost as quickly as Derek had pushed himself in front of Amy, he found she'd slipped herself around in front of him.

"I need the space to play. What does he need it for?"

"Hey!" Derek yelled, losing his grip on this ludicrous situation "Is everyone missing the fact that she's less than half my size?" he asked, looking around for some form of support.

Cameron chose that moment to contribute to the discussion.

"Fifty one percent" she added helpfully.

Derek merely glared at her. "My point is still valid"

Cameron saw his glare and raised him a scary robot face. "This room is closest to John's, that means having Amy here will make it more secure"

"Are you saying I can't protect my nephew?" he countered "…Besides, the little metal was sent back to protect Sarah right? The other room is closer to hers" he turned to Sarah and gave her his own version of the pleading eyes Amy seemed to have perfected.

Sarah however seemed distracted by something else, something her future daughter in law had just said.

"Cameron, in that case you should be taking this room, to be closer to John for his protection"

Derek's eyes flew wide. He suddenly remembered the deal he'd made with Cameron, something she would surely hold him to. He looked at her, silently hoping and praying that she'd somehow forgotten about it.

"It would be even safer if I were in the same room"

Damn, apparently she hadn't forgotten about it as she looked at Derek after putting that one out there to be heard. With a frown and a scratch of his five o'clock shadow, Derek couldn't believe he was about to take a metal's side. But a deal is a deal, even one with Cameron.

"Well, she kinda has a point" he said in a quiet voice.

Sarah stared incredulously at them both. Cameron for suggesting it and Derek for agreeing with her. Finally her eyes settled on John who looked like he was trying to inch his way behind his girlfriend, despite his height advantage. John Connor the man they'd witnessed only a couple of hours earlier had now disappeared as soon as it looked like he was abut to be told off. It pleased Sarah to know she could still scold him like she'd always been able to.

"What?" Sarah asked, to no one in particular.

Derek shrugged, clearly uncomfortable at having to do this.

"I'm just saying, they attacked the house right? It might be a good idea for John to stick close to…Cameron for a while"

Sarah couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. "No, not now, not ever" she said resolutely.

Despite his initial reluctance, Derek was never one to quit on an argument as he glowered at Sarah.

"Yeah, because what you're doing now is really stopping them from having sex, huh Sarah?" he paused a moment and chuckled, more in disgust than anything "I guess all that noise this morning was just John's new workout routine right?"

Sarah had that look in her eyes all of a sudden that told Derek she was just about ready to rip one of his arms off and beat him to death with it. Her glare changed it's direction to John who was now almost entirely obscured by Cameron. Then they shifted to the obstruction herself.

"I though we had an agreement?" she asked, looking directly at Cameron.

John chanced sticking his head out from behind cover for a moment.

"Agreement? We weren't at home" he reasoned, clearly not taking in to account Sarah's volatile mood.

Not even pausing to draw a breath, Sarah glared at her smartass son.

"Don't try to be funny with me John. And you…" she stopped and looked at Cameron, who still held her impassive stare "…You broke your promise to me"

With a frown, Cameron looked down at her feet guiltily.

"John needed me…" she reasoned.

Feeling a pang of guilt herself, Sarah clammed up, unsure how best to respond to that one. Amy however saw her opportunity.

"Awesome, they can share and I can take the room next door, beat that for security!" she said with a confident smile.

Everyone turned and faced Derek simultaneously as as a low growl could be heard emanating from his throat.

"You're here to protect Sarah!" he pointed out.

Amy however was unfazed.

"Well this room is right across the hall, what's two doors to me right? They may as well be made of paper"

"This is bullshit!" he yelled, his mouth running overtime before his brain had a chance to intervene "You can't possibly expect me to bring a woman back to…" he took a couple of steps down the hall to the smaller room in question and kicked the door open "…that!" he said with a wave of his arm towards the interior of the admittedly pokey room.

Everyone besides Derek noticed his slip up at mentioning a woman. Cameron however covered for her newfound buddy by quickly moving the conversation on. Trying to play on his sense of pride, she thought she would be able to convince him to take the small room and leave Amy the big room next to John's, or rather, if things went well, her room too.

"Derek, from this room you are in prime position to oversee the entire upper floor. You can protect all of us"

Admittedly, upon hearing those words Derek's inner primate raced to the surface. The mentality of 'I am man, I protect woman' almost won over until he stopped and engaged his higher brain functions. He walked in to the room and waved his arms in the general direction of the windows.

"Hey, everyone out there on the street, clear headshot right here!" slapping two fingers against his forehead, he turned back to face Cameron "…I'm not bulletproof, she is"

Apparently having enough of this, Amy calmly walked over to Derek. She stood in front of him and cocked her head backwards a little, beckoning him down to her level. He warily crouched down and she cupped both hands around his ear, knowing her liquid metal matrix would dampen Cameron's ability to hear what was being said.

"Give me the room, or I'll tell everyone about your little sweetheart" she whispered before pulling back and plastering a sweet smile on her face.

Derek looked like he'd seen a ghost. He backed away, his face suddenly pale. He took one look at Amy's expression and suddenly regretted asking her about Jessica in the first place.

"Um, yeah, whatever. Just uh, take the room"

With that he left without another word. Amy meanwhile bounded past him squealing like a banshee, headed to her new room and muttering about what colour paint she wanted on the walls leaving only a stoic Cameron, a fuming Sarah and a nervous looking John in her wake.

"It's strategically sound for us to share this room. I can protect John more efficiently this way" Cameron argued, not missing a beat from the little interlude in their discussion.

Sarah stood there unmoving and glared at both of them, primarily at Cameron. The cyborg seemed determined to take the inch she'd given them and turn it in to a mile.

"You mean you can sleep with him more efficiently? You realise your girlfriend has you on a sex schedule right?" she asked John who's eyes, for some reason lit up at the mention of that. He failed to suppress a smirk and looked sidelong at Cameron.

"Really?"

Instead of Cameron replying, Sarah interjected with a false cheerfulness in her voice.

"Yeah, apparently she has to screw your brains out before you can sleep"

"Has to?" again John had that shit eating smirk, somewhat forgetting Sarah was present as his mind drifted off to think about the merits of Cameron's new 'schedule'.

Sarah coughed pointedly to tear her son's attention and his eyes away from Cameron. She stared at both of the 'kids' in turn, letting them know exactly how serious she was being at this moment.

"I'm really trying John…but this is just strange, even you have to admit that"

John sighed. His mind wandered back to his thoughts from that morning, about how he'd stood up to his mother about Cameron, about how it was terrifying to do so. Now he had to go through it all again. Digging deep, he summoned up some of this new found determination and looked his mother in the eye just as seriously as she was staring back at him.

"Why is it strange mom? You've accepted that we're in a relationship and that we're…you know. So why can't we share a room?"

Sarah wasn't backing down however despite her nod at his sound point.

"John, think for two minutes. I agreed because you're happy, she makes you happy and I get that. But sex for love and sex because you need a nap are two very different things" she argued in her best motherly tone.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed that he was once again having a sex conversation with his mother, John ploughed on with making his point.

"It's not like that mom. Anyway, I didn't even know about her 'schedule' until now. I wanna spend the nights with my girlfriend, is that so hard to accept?"

Sarah frowned. Despite what is seemed she really was just trying to help, protect and guide her son. She was willing to admit she'd never been the best mother to him while he was growing up, but she of course still cared for and loved him deeply. She wanted what was best for him, and she was convinced she was right this time.

"No, it's not that hard to accept, but sex should mean something John. You can't have a healthy relationship this way"

John felt his mouth moving before his brain had a chance to catch up. He pushed her button that he rarely ever pushed for fear of a backlash.

"You think it doesn't mean something to me, to us? I would've thought you of all people would understand you can't help who you fall in love with"

Sarah for once looked actually hurt. She also looked uncomfortable discussing this very private matter in front of Cameron. She buried down the hurt and covered it by snapping.

"There's a difference John, your father loved me back"

Cameron felt a pang of guilt and hurt run through her cybernetic brain. Until now she'd remained mostly impassive, now however she found herself frowning and looking down at her feet. Sarah didn't know, but Cameron desperately wanted to be able to return John's love for her, but until that day came all she had as a symbol of her affection was physical love. That was why she was pushing Sarah to allow them to be closer. Until she sorted through her new feelings and emotions and could truly tell John she loved him and mean it and know what it meant, all she had was sex.

John noticed the forlorn look on Cameron's face and rounded on his mother in her defence.

"Mom! We've had this discussion…and that's none of your business" he practically growled at her invasion of Cameron's privacy.

"It's my business when you want to share a room in my house, otherwise we wouldn't be having this discussion…" she growled back before slipping her 'mom' mask in to place "…Cameron lied to me"

John looked between Sarah and Cameron and then back to Sarah, this was news to him.

"What?" he asked both of them.

"When I agreed to let her share a room with you at the motel she promised you two wouldn't have sex…" she nodded pointedly in the direction Derek was last seen leaving from "…In case you didn't notice we got the surround sound version of your new 'morning routine'"

Cameron remained quiet, suddenly feeling bad about knowingly allowing the rules to be broken. John spoke in her place.

"And what if I was the one who started it huh? What, you think it's always her who seduces me?"

Sarah couldn't help but be a little disturbed at the thought of her little baby boy being sexually aggressive.

"You're telling me Cameron couldn't stop you?" she turned her skeptical look towards said cyborg "…Did you forget our deal or what?"

Looking more than a little upset by her slip and the berating she was now receiving, Cameron raised her eyes and looked at Sarah.

"No, I didn't forget…I'm sorry Sarah"

_Well at least she sounds sincere._

Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

"I don't give two shits if you two have sex John. But all this…" she motioned between the pair with her hand "…you never used to lie to me before all this started"

John sighed, finally realising his mother's point and her main gripe. While he wanted to spend his nights with Cameron, he was willing to wait if only for Sarah's sanity.

"Mom, I could be like a big kid and argue that technically we didn't break any rules, you know, seeing as we weren't even in your house. But if it'll make you happy, and prove that we can be trusted then I guess we can have separate rooms…for now. Happy?" he asked, not leaving much wiggle room in his voice.

Sarah looked at him skeptically, but had to admit she was proud of her son for seeing what her gripe was and willing to compromise with her over it, no matter how much he may not like it.

"I'll be happy when I know you're telling the truth…" she frowned and looked at Cameron "…If she wants to be a…a Connor, then she needs to learn rule number one, no secrets"

John nodded in agreement.

"Alright. That okay with you Cameron?"

Cameron merely nodded, still feeling guilty at having caused this entire conflict in the first place.

Sarah nodded and smirked at her son. She couldn't help but feel proud of the way he handled that situation.

"Two weeks…" she stepped over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder "…it'll give us time to pick out furniture for…you two"

John's eyes lit up, partially in delight, partially in disbelief.

"You're serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious…" her smirk grew back to full size "…maybe some soundproofing supplies while we're at it"

"Ugh, mom" he did not need to hear that.

"Seriously John? You're going to complain to me because I had to listen to you having sex with your girlfriend and it's making YOU uncomfortable? That's the road you wanna go down with me right now?"

"No…" he said with a smirk, feeling suddenly brave he laid a hand on Cameron's lower back "…thanks mom"

Sarah shrugged, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"We needed a room to store the weapons in anyways"

John chuckled and suddenly stepped over to hug his mother. It was so unexpected that Sarah barely had time to wrap her arms around him before he pulled back and guided Cameron out of the room without a word.

"Remember, the rules still apply for the next two weeks, that includes bedtimes" she hollered after them. She was not looking forward to having to tuck Cameron in for the first time.

* * *

**As always a big shoutout to Dekardkain for helping me out with this chapter. Please check out his story Becoming John Connor. Seriously****, it's just about to get reeeeeeally good!**

**On a sidenote, coooooome on Carolina!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi,**

**Thanks to reviewers Vintorez, olischulu, darkfinder, XxDeathStarxX, TCandBTVSluver, CloudyShadows, sasha starr, EvilTheLast, Nyrki, greg3952, leex02, kaotic2 and 1080.

* * *

**

_Keep going, keep going, you're nearly there, you can do it._

Tearing through the thick woods with his arms tied behind his back, John's breathing was heavy and his entire body pleaded for rest. Never before had he ran so hard and so fast to reach his goal. He fought his way through branches without his arms, he could feel the scratches forming on his face despite the fact he'd lowered it in an attempt to barrel through the foliage.

Sparing a quick glance backwards, he heard more than saw the branches give way as his relentless pursuer continued to gain ground.

As he looked forward, there it was, Derek's truck, his ticket out of there.

He hurdled a fallen tree trunk with little difficulty, climbing one side and prepared to leap off the other to gain any advantage he could. At the last possible moment just before he was about to jump, he heard a branch snap behind him signalling his hunter was closing and he lost his concentration. He'd never seen the ground approaching his face as fast as it was in that moment.

And the day started off so well…

* * *

There were many things that could be described as beautiful. A sunset, the sky at night, a cool beer after a long and hot day. But for John, nothing would ever top this, he was certain of that.

He watched on in awe as Cameron was experiencing what could only be described as the intense pleasure that only an orgasm can bring, or rather her equivalent of one.

From the way her brow cinched together and her mouth hung agape between screaming his name, to each and every shiver and movement he felt through their connected bodies, John was sure this was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. As his busy hands explored her body, the relatively flimsy wooden headboard above him creaked and strained in protest under her vice like grip. John gave a silent thanks that she wasn't clinging to his shoulders like that.

As she moaned his name again, her eyes still screwed firmly shut as she rode the waves of her climax, John felt an overwhelming sense of love and pride. He was the only one who could make her feel this way, the only one who could break down her cyborg walls and give her the sensations she was feeling now. A primal urge overtook him and he sat up and buried his head in her chest.

Seeing that she was in no fit state to continue her movements, John cupped her backside and did his best to help her rise and fall as she removed her hands from the headboard and clung to him for dear life. Never before had he felt like such a man, not a boy, a man. Being able to please a woman, any woman in this way was something to be proud of, especially a woman as complex and different as Cameron.

His hard work and effort had finally paid off as he felt her head slump on to his shoulder as her orgasm subsided. The weight of her body forced him backwards and his head crashed back down to the pillow, but he still held her as she recovered from her first ever climax. He lay there and showed remarkable restraint on his part and merely stroked her hair gently until she was ready to continue. As they lay there, still joined, John felt her quivering each time he lazily drew a feather light touch up and down her spine.

Finally she looked up and smiled at him. Looking more satisfied than he'd ever seen her before, she slowly began to rock back and forth, not forgetting about him in the slightest. She trailed a slow and languid line of kisses down his neck and across his chest as she maintained her steady rhythm. John's eyes rolled back in to his head as she increased her pace, it wouldn't be long now.

As John felt his pleasure rising, he opened his eyes to see her beautiful face smiling down at him.

"John?"

Barely registering her saying anything, instead focusing on what he was feeling, John mumbled out a reply.

"Yeah?"

"Wake up"

The next thing he knew he felt something freezing cold surround his groin. His eyes snapped open to find Derek holding an empty bucket over him and looking more than a little disgusted. John however had more important things to focus on as the contents of said bucket were sinking in to his pants at a rapid rate. Ice cold water coming in to contact with one's reproductive organs should never, ever happen under any circumstances. Especially when it's just been dumped on the area by your pissed off looking uncle in an effort to wake you up from your amazing dirty dream.

"GAAAHHHHH!" John exclaimed, all rational thought leaving him the moment his brain had caught up with the nerves down below.

Derek meanwhile stood there, or rather having stood there for a few seconds earlier before leaving immediately to retrieve the instruments of his wake up call. He was in no mood to see his nephew clearly in the middle of a sexual dream first thing in the morning. Hence his choice method of waking him up. Putting out the fires directly, he reasoned.

He was simply going to drag him out of bed by his ankle and dump him on the floor, but after seeing him writhing around in his bed like a horny puppy he changed his mind to something a little more creative.

"Get dressed, put these on" he said as he slung John's combat boots he'd remembered to salvage from the old house down beside his bed.

"Derek, what the hell?"

John had good right to be more than a little dazed and confused. The last thing he knew he was literally giving Cameron the time of her life, now she was nowhere to be found and he had a soaking wet and freezing crotch. That having quickly taken care of his obvious arousal, he focused his eyes on Derek who looked like he'd been awake for hours. He reached over and picked up his phone and squinted at the screen to try and tell the time.

"It's five AM. What's going on?" he asked as he slumped backwards and his head hit the pillow, for real this time.

"Get up, you wanted to be trained right. Well it's a five AM start every morning until you're ready. Now get up, I want you dressed and downstairs in two minutes" with that he left the room without so much as a backward glance.

Letting out a long groan of disapproval, John did as he was told and dragged his tired and wet butt out of bed. Quickly stripping off his soaked pants, he stumbled around a bit in the darkness as his foot got stuck in one of the legs. Oh, if only the human race could see him now. John Connor, their future leader and saviour stumbling around his bedroom with his pants around his ankles with soaking wet nether regions. Skynet would be quaking in its metaphorical boots he was sure.

Eventually after a monumental struggle, John made his way downstairs rather stupidly expecting to find a fried breakfast awaiting him to start his day. Instead he found Derek waiting at the foot of the stairs looking more pissed off than he was upstairs.

"I said two minutes, that was five minutes ago"

"Sooorry"

Apparently five AM starts didn't agree with John, his mood wasn't the best to start off with, it was even worse now.

"Come with me" Derek said bluntly.

_Someone fell off the wrong side of the bunk this morning._

Derek lead John out of the front door and stood midway down the path and raised his arm to point down the road.

"Go, run, three miles and then run back"

John looked at Derek like he'd just asked him to stand on his head and spin around.

"How am I going to know when I've ran three miles?" he inquired, really not having any clue how he would know.

"I've asked Amy to stand exactly three miles away, just keep going that way until you see her"

With that, John took off running, shaking off the momentary confusion that Derek had actually managed to get Amy to agree to go and stand three miles away and wait for him. After only a few steps, he caught sight of Cameron returning from her nightly patrol. She'd deemed it enough of a risk with Vasquez out there for her to spend the night outside for security.

John bounded over to her, easily ignoring the way her head tilted to the side in confusion over why he was awake at five AM and out running no less. John thought he saw a flicker of disappointment flash across her face but dismissed it as hopeful thinking. _She doesn't like lying next to me that much…does she?_

Tossing his thoughts aside, he sidled up next to her and jogged on the spot.

"Good morning" he said in a surprisingly chipper voice considering the time of day. An amazing dream will do that to people.

"Morning John" she replied, baffled by what she was seeing.

"Hey, I said run. Amy won't wait forever" Derek hollered from the path.

With a grin, John planted a hasty kiss on Cameron's cheek and took off running, leaving a very confused cyborg in his wake. Said cyborg slowly walked back up to the house and took up a position beside Derek and turned to watch John disappear from view. She turned to the resistance soldier, but before she could ask anything Amy appeared from the house and squeezed herself in between the pair.

"Where's John going?"

* * *

Amy looked on in disgust as Sarah picked up a four pack of plain white underwear, 'granny panties' as they were more commonly referred to and dumped them in her shopping cart. With a frown, she picked it up and flung it to her left, not caring in the slightest where they landed. Sarah looked down at her shopping companion, Cameron having disappeared a long time ago saying something cryptic about finding the perfect bed for her and John, and inquired what Amy was doing with a frown.

"Come on Sarah, if Cameron can take the time to look sexy…" Amy said, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Don't even finish that sentence…you want those bunkbeds right?" she threatened.

With a pout, Amy stuck her tongue out at Sarah. She didn't know why she wanted bunkbeds, but all she knew was she did, and it annoyed her that she did. "You really want someone to see you wearing those granny undies?"

"Well it's not like anyone is going to see them anyway. May as well save some cash for important things like guns and ammo" feeling the conversation over, Sarah reached over and picked up another four pack of the white monstrosities Amy seemed so offended by.

Snatching the pack before they'd even hit the cart, Amy flung them aside and this time watched them land in the same spot as their counterparts. Looking around, her eyes settled on her target and she scanned them to match Sarah's body shape. Taking a few short steps, Amy yanked a pair of frilly, lacy black panties off a hanger and impudently flicked them at Sarah. "We have plenty of guns and ammo, and no one seeing your underwear is kind of the problem, isn't it?"

"Wait, wait, wait. Am I really receiving relationship advice from a machine who thinks she's an eight year old girl?" Sarah asked as she removed the panties from her face and held them in her hand.

"Hey, I may not be human but I've spent a lot of time around them. Enough to know that being a mom doesn't magically halt your sex drive" Amy's hands had returned to her hips. Despite her small stature, she could look quite imposing when she had a bee in her bonnet about something.

"No, but it puts a pretty big dent in it, especially with the two lovebirds right across the hall. That's enough to put anyone off"

Sarah paused for a moment to consider the aforementioned couple. While she had accepted them and their 'love', she also didn't want to accept that her John had found someone else in his life who held as much sway over him as his dear old mother. While she of course wanted him to find happiness, she didn't want to lose him completely.

That was the most prominent reason for her imposing the restrictions on their relationship that she had. He was still her little boy, despite him being pretty much a man, his own man. In her eyes he would always be that little boy she trained in the jungles of Central America, the little boy who learned to fire a gun at the tender age of four.

The more control she could maintain over him, the better it was in her eyes. She knew what was best for him, she was convinced of it, and making sure he didn't rush in to this thing with Cameron was her priority. She never regretted what she did with Kyle, but that did give her a certain perspective on spur of the moment relationships.

Plus she didn't need to hear either screaming or moaning down the hall from her son or her mechanical fake daughter, at least not for a while yet.

Meanwhile Amy had gotten that infuriating little smirk on her face that told her nothing good was about to come. The way she innocently twirled on of her pigtails round her finger didn't help either. "Come on Sarah, how much of that anger has to do with it not being your bed being jumped on?"

Taking a moment to pick her jaw up off the floor, Sarah looked at Amy with an expression of disbelief. "Alright, conversation over. Have you seen Cameron? We need to pay for all this stuff" she asked, referring to her now full cart of household items, including new underwear.

"You're no fun!" Amy said as she hopped on the front of the cart for a free ride. She looked at Sarah with an evil little smile. "Every little girl deserves a daddy you know"

"A little girl needs to know when not to push it" Sarah growled "Where is that girl?" she asked, doing her best to scan the department store for telltale signs of Cameron.

"Come on, Uncie Derek needs a friend his own age" Amy said, continuing to push Sarah. She knew full well where Cameron was, being able to hear the bed springs squeaking from the other side of the store. Evidently Cameron was giving the beds a thorough test before she committed to buying one.

"I think 'Uncie Derek' may already have someone his own age" she said as she started wandering aimlessly looking for Cameron. She had her suspicions about Derek for a while, when else does Derek smell of anything other than gun oil or engine grease unless there's a woman involved. Cologne certainly wasn't this usual scent, neither was wearing a suit, or shaving.

Amy looked a little crestfallen that Sarah might know what she thought was her and Derek's little secret, but then again Sarah knew everything about everyone, or so it seemed. Her mood picked up however when she realised that Sarah knowing could have it's advantages for messing with Uncie Derek later on. "Yeah, a model Sarah. Derek can score a lingerie model and you're telling me you can't even get a date?"

_Wow, a lingerie model?_

"Hey, I can get a date if I want to, I just choose not to"

"Yeah" Amy said with a less than ladylike snort "How's that workin' out for ya?'

"Well enough" Sarah snapped "Why are you pushing this so much?"

Amy frowned and looked down at her hands, she was only trying to help. "Because everyone else is happy Sarah. Why can't you be?"

"John's alive and happy, that makes me happy. Why do you care so much anyway?"

Amy suddenly felt a little miffed at Sarah's dismissal of her. She should know that she cared for her, in fact she was so miffed she stamped her foot a little. "John is happy because of Cameron. Derek is happy because of his new girlfriend. I care because humans always seem to be better of when they have someone close to them like that" she paused and spoke in a softer voice "You're making yourself miserable for no reason Sarah"

"I have John, that's enough" she answered in a quiet voice.

Deciding to go for broke, Amy seized her opportunity. "And John has Cameron now. I'd say that frees you up a bit"

Sarah had enough and stopped in her tracks, she didn't like Amy probing so close to the mark like that. "You need to stop pushing this alright. If and when I'm ready I'll do something about it. Thank you for your concern. You're supposed to be my protector, not my mom"

Sarah carried on her path, leaving a forlorn looking Amy to trudge after her. Her mood was improved however when Sarah rounded a corner and stopped in her tracks. She slid up next to her to the sight of Cameron bouncing up and down energetically on a double bed with a big childish grin on her face.

"This one is optimal…plus it's in the sale"

Amy bounced up on to the bed beside Cameron and started jumping up and down with a huge grin on her face.

Sarah growled at the sight in front of her. "How much is this?"

Before Cameron could answer, Amy butted in, still bouncing around happily. "Doesn't matter! This is definitely the one!"

Cameron glared up at her. While she'd ensured the bed would hold up to the strains of her weight and John and her's activities, she certainly didn't appreciate what Amy evidently had planned for it. "You will not be jumping up and down on this bed. It's not designed for that"

"Oh come on! You and John used to let me jump on your bed all the time in the future" she paused and pouted, but still continued to bounce "He was a lot more fun then. He used to do this trick when he got really drunk with a glock and a pair of salt shakers that would have you blowing a gasket it was so funny"

Evidently Amy had forgotten Sarah was there, otherwise she wouldn't have launched in to 'future drunken John storytelling mode'. Now taking one look at her face, she instantly stopped bouncing.

_Hmm, maybe I went too far…

* * *

_

_Where the hell is she?_

John could have sworn he'd been running way more than three miles, and yet still no sign of Amy. Maybe he'd take a wrong turn? No, that couldn't be it, the road was pretty much straight.

_Come on John, you can do this. It's only three miles._

Just as his legs started to feel heavy, he heard the low rumble of tyres beside him. He looked over to see Derek leaning out of his truck window with an infuriating smirk on his face.

"Hey John, you should've been there by now. You can't afford to be this slow when you have a triple eight on your ass"

_Shut up Derek._

"Hey, where's Amy? I've been running forever"

"Oh, she's not out here, but keep going, you're almost to three miles, just a little further"

Little did john know, Derek had set the trip odometer on his truck when he left the house. He watched as it ticked over to five miles and looked back out the window. "There ya go, three miles"

John stopped and doubled over at the waist, panting heavily. Derek watched in amusement as he looked like he was about to vomit from the exertion.

"Hop in"

John did as instructed and walked around to the passenger side and climbed in. As soon as the door closed Derek put the truck in drive and pulled away from the kerb. After a few hundred yards, Derek still hadn't pulled a U-turn like John was expecting. In fact he'd taken a turn off to head out of the city.

"Uh, Derek? Where are we going? I though we were heading home?"

Derek looked sidelong at his nephew with a smug grin on his face. "What, you think that's it for today's training? We haven't even started yet John. That little jog was just to wake you up"

John frowned. "The bucket of water did that well enough Derek"

"No, that was just to stop you thinking about whatever it was you were thinking about. The run was to wake you up…" he paused as he recalled that morning "I should not have to see…that, first thing in the morning"

Feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over him, John hunkered further down in to the seat and kept his mouth shut for the remainder of the journey.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me"

"Why would I be kidding? This may save your life some day"

"How on Earth will tying my hands behind my back save my life some day?"

"You'll see"

Derek had driven John out to the woods on the outskirts of the city and marched him to a clearing about a mile from the road. It was then he'd pulled out the zip ties and told him to turn around.

"This is called escape and evasion. You've been held captive by me for the last couple of days. You managed to overpower me and now you're escaping. The truck is a friendly base, you have to get there without me catching you. If I catch you, we start over from this clearing"

"Why?"

"Because me catching you means you die. This isn't a video game John, you don't have checkpoints when you die. But seeing as this is just training you get the honour of starting again from the beginning"

John nodded, after all, this was what he asked for. "Alright, what kind of head start do I get?"

"You get thirty seconds, after that, I'm coming for you. Thirty…twenty nine…twenty eight" Derek reeled off as he looked at his watch and pointed in the direction they'd just came from and watched as John took off running.

_This'll be easy, Derek's old and slow. No problem.

* * *

_

Sarah looked up from the mess Amy was making of her ice cream and scanned her surroundings for points of interest, meaning threats. A useful habit she'd picked up over the years. Several small screeching kids piqued her interest first, mostly their parents who seemed content to let them continue to screech while they sipped their coffee in ignorance.

Forcing aside the urge to dish out some old school Sarah Connor rage, she shifted her gaze just in time to see Cameron approaching them with her arms laden down by what looked like about twenty shopping bags. When that girl was given a mission she sure executed it pretty well. Unfortunately, no normal eighteen year old girl could manage to hold even half of what Cameron was carrying now.

Sarah stood and met her halfway.

"Cameron, let me help you with those bags dear" she said, keeping up appearances for the few patrons who were gawking at this wisp of a girl who somehow managed to hold all these bags with ease.

"I don't require any help" she stated with a tilt of her head.

"Yeah, you do" Sarah replied, leaning close "You're making it look like you have metal fingers, most girls don't have those"

By this time, Amy had stood up and joined them. Cameron looked down at her bags and realised her mistake. Not for the first time she'd used her natural abilities without considering how odd it would look. "Oh" was all she said before handing five bags off to Sarah and thrusting three in to Amy's unsuspecting arms, totally obscuring her face from view.

Sarah meanwhile had managed to grab hold of 'her' bags and had them mostly under control. However she spotted something Amy was holding that any woman, even Sarah Connor would be able to spot from six blocks away. A pink striped monstrosity known as a Victoria's Secret bag. While Amy juggled her bags, Sarah dug in the top and started to pull something small, black and mostly see though out of it.

Cameron whirled around and snatched the garment out of her hand and placed it back in the bag. "That's for John" she said with a glare.

"Really? I didn't think that was his size"

Cameron's head tilted to the side and she decided to clarify her statement. "For his enjoyment, not to wear"

Sarah shuddered. "I did not want to know that Cameron"

"Then why did you decide to start snooping in my shopping bags?" she asked, suddenly feeling very defensive. She paused and considered an alternative reason for Sarah's attitude. "Are you unhappy I didn't get any for you? They had many garments in your size"

"We did!" Amy squealed from behind her bags.

Cameron reached out and moved the bag obscuring her face so she could lock eyes with the smaller machine. "Explain"

"Uh, no we didn't" Sarah said, trying to divert everyone's attention from how uncomfortable she was sure she was about to get.

With nothing more than an eye roll, Amy started speaking excitedly. We got Sarah some sexy panties. Makes a change from those things that could be recycled in to sails"

Cameron nodded and looked over to Sarah with an expression that carried sage wisdom. "Less is more, according to Fashion Weekly"

Sarah looked like she was about to snap and lose it. "Yeah, less, as in we're putting this ridiculous thing back and everybody is going to stop talking about my underwear"

"Why?" Cameron asked with a frown, unsure as to why Sarah seemed to be taking her advice so badly. "Your partner would undoubtedly prefer something more revealing. John can't even form a coherent sentence when he sees…"

"Cameron!" Sarah exclaimed "I neither want nor need to hear the rest of that sentence. Besides, as Amy is failing to understand, there is no partner. I'd rather be comfortable than sexy"

"But sexual release is an important part of mental and emotional wellbeing" she paused and glanced at Amy "She was only trying to help you"

"Maybe I don't want any help. Did either of you stop to consider that? Besides, how would you know about sexual release?" she asked Cameron, clearly not aware of the problems she and John were having in that department. If anything she was just curious as to what, if anything she felt when she was with John. However her argumentative tone made it sound harsher than she intended.

Cameron looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling sullen and depressed. "I…I'm sorry Sarah"

She didn't chance saying anything else, refraining from explaining that her son is always more relaxed after he achieves his release.

Sarah couldn't help but frown at how her words sounded and how it had obviously struck a nerve in the cyborg. "Alright then…" she looked around for a distraction "So, did you pick out anything else nice…that didn't come from Victoria's Secret?"

Cameron shrugged. "I followed your instructions, I picked up a reasonable selection of clothes for myself and John. I believe you'll find them acceptable"

Sarah dug through some of the bags. "Cameron, I don't see many things here for John, it's all just your stuff" she looked up at the innocent features of the cyborg "did you get him _anything_?"

Cameron frowned, expecting John's mother of all people to understand this. "John prefers to wear older, worn and comfortable clothing. His sense of style is considered 'retro' now, they don't sell many garments he likes"

"'Retro'? Old and tattered is more like it. I told you to get him some new stuff"

Cameron raised an arm and pointed to the men's section, consisting mostly of nice jeans and polo shirts. "Do you see anything John would be willing to wear?"

Sarah walked over, determined to prove the cyborg wrong on this one. She pointed out a smart shirt, nothing wrong with it, but certainly what would be considered more 'mom' than 'John'.

"Here, this is nice. He'd like this…right?"

Cameron gave Sarah a look that screamed 'what the hell are you thinking?'. "Have you ever seen him wear anything resembling that before Sarah?"

"Well no, but it's still nice" she frowned, realising she was losing this particular battle. "Alright then smartass, what would you pick out for him?"

Cameron tilted her head for a moment before marching off down the aisle until she found a pair of relaxed fit, faded jeans. Without even bothering to look around, Cameron tore a large hole over the left knee and examined her handiwork closely. She pulled them down off the rack and handed them to Sarah. "He would wear these"

Quickly looking around for any signs of security charging towards them, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief at finding none. "Cameron, what have we told you about breaking things that aren't yours?"

"It's for John" she reasoned with a shrug. "Since he'll wear them I assumed we'd purchase them"

Sarah shook her head, clearly unable to see the same thing John saw in her. By this time, Amy had made her way over to them and yelled out from behind her bags. "What'd she do?"

"Altered John's jeans for him" Cameron replied with a small smile "They were insufficiently tight"

"Alright, they're tight now. Just grab them and let's get the hell out of here. This day is just getting too weird for me"

Cameron nodded. "We should be getting home, John should be finished with his training soon"

"Oooh, I call shotgun" Amy hollered.

Cameron, looked a little disappointed. "I always get stuck with 9mm. Perhaps I should start 'calling' it earlier to prevent that"

Sarah grumbled under her breath as she walked away, that being the last straw. "Fuck my life"

Cameron looked down at Amy as Sarah walked off and leaned in a bit conspiratorially. "Did you retrieve the panties she put back?"

"Of course" Amy replied with a grin.

"She'll thank us later" Cameron said with a nod as she proceeded towards the checkout, Amy in tow with her bags.

* * *

And the day started off so well…

That was until John came crashing face first in to the ground, having tried and failed to hurdle that damn log. An instant later, he rolled over just in time to see Derek bounding towards him through the foliage. Dragging himself to his feet once again, John took off running towards the now clearly visible truck as fast as his legs could carry him. It was all for nought however as he felt the now familiar feeling of Derek's shoulder ploughing in to his lower back.

He tumbled to the ground underneath the older man's weight, breathing and panted heavily in to the dirt, kicking up dust and leaves.

Derek stood up and did his best to yank his flat out nephew back up to his feet by his belt. Taking sympathy at last after seeing his face slam off the ground four times already that day, he decided that was enough for one day. He pulled out a pair of cutters and released John's wrists and sympathised as he rubbed them with a wince.

"Come on, lets head to the truck, that's enough for today"

The short walk to the truck was filled with silence, sheer, uncomfortable silence. That was until they reached the road.

"You…could have…gone easy…on me you know…first day and all" John just about managed to get that out around his ragged breathing while walking around the hood to the passenger side.

Derek stopped his own movement towards the driver's door and glared at his nephew over the hood. "You're kidding right? Only reason you're even conscious right now was I decided my original plan would've had Cameron chasing me like I was chasing you"

John raised an eyebrow, like that day wasn't bad enough. "What was your…original plan?" he suddenly regretted asking that, feeling the need not to know.

Derek started to speak and then stopped, his jaw still hanging open slightly. "Nah, still probably gonna do it at some point…wouldn't want to ruin the surprise"

John merely groaned and climbed in to the truck. Looking over to his left, he watched as Derek climbed in and started the engine. "So that was a good day's work wouldn't you say?"

Derek eyed his nephew sceptically. "You died John, like four times. That's a pretty low bar to be setting for a 'good day'" he wasn't impressed at all with everything about the day, from John's seeming lack of interest to his flat out appalling performance.

"Four?" John asked with a quirked eyebrow and a certain measure of disbelief in his voice.

"And that's a conservative estimate…" with that he slammed the truck in to drive and started barreling down the dirt road "…the only positive thing I can think of is that at least you didn't shoot at me today"

John narrowed his eyes at his uncle. "I've already apologised for that. It's only one day right, the only way is up" John stated confidently.

Deciding his nephew needed a wake up call, Derek slammed on the brakes, almost bouncing John's head off the dash. He'd had enough of John's attitude of this being a breeze just because he was John Connor. "Did you not fucking hear me? I said you DIED. Four. Times!"

Pausing only to suck in a breath and glare at him, Derek couldn't help but shake his head, partly in disbelief and partly in disappointment. "I can't understand it. Between Kyle and Sarah you should have at least SOME natural ability"

John wasn't one to give up on an argument, and he hated being told off, least of all by his Uncle. Sparing a sidelong glare, John felt his irritation rising. "Hey, I'm sorry I'm not Rambo. That's why I asked you to do this. First day, gimme a break" as far as he was concerned that was the end of the argument and he slumped back in to his seat. Apparently Derek had other ideas however.

"Do you realise that today was supposed to be a confidence booster?" he looked at John with yet more disbelief. Why wasn't the kid getting this? "You're right, you're not Rambo, but you've been trained to run John"

Derek sat back and rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked a his nephew pityingly. "I was trying to play to your strengths so you'd start off with a win"

In no mood to take Derek's pity, John bit back. "Well it's pretty hard to run properly with my hands tied behind my back" he pointed out, firmly believing that particular exercise to be pretty much pointless.

"Oh, and I guess you'll never, ever, under any circumstances be running in anything other than perfect condition right?"

Derek actually chuckled, such was his mood at the moment.

"You think it's hard running with your hands behind your back? Try it with a bullet in your shoulder. WHEN it happens, not if, you'll thank me because you'll be ready"

Derek turned away and faced out of the windscreen. Pulling the truck away a little more calmly than earlier, he felt he'd made his point pretty well and waited for John's response.

John meanwhile felt firmly put in his place by his dear uncle. 'WHEN it happens, not if'.

That was the thing he was failing to comprehend and he knew it. Mostly it wasn't his fault, nobody could possibly prepare him for living and fighting in a post apocalyptic wasteland with hordes of roaming Terminators all with his name at the top of their hit lists. But ever since he was old enough to understand what was coming, he'd never really given up hope of avoiding that nightmare. Even though he was the one responsible for changing the family's long term plans and accept that Judgement day was inevitable, he always help out hope.

Now with Derek doing his level best to lay out the harsh realities of it all, he couldn't help but feel daunted. Not that he'd expected it all to be sunshine and daisies, but he'd just assumed it would come naturally to him. He'd always heard about the great General Connor and how he led the human race to victory over the machines. Now though he was starting to realise that he probably had to learn all this stuff the way he was trying to do now. While it was true, and Cameron had summed it up perfectly the day before, Sarah had trained him well, but she'd trained him to shoot and run. Run first, shoot only if required.

That wouldn't cut it, not for who and what he'd be fighting. He needed more, and if he had to suck it up and endure this for however long it took for him to go from little Johnny Connor to General John Connor.

"You're right…" John turned to face Derek who still remained focused on driving and seemingly nothing else "…Honestly, how did I do today? I'm really serious about doing this Derek, I might not seem like it but I do wanna get better at this"

With a sigh, Derek tore his eyes away from the road and regarded John seriously. He was convinced that John wanted to do this, he wouldn't be helping him if he wasn't. But the kid needed a good slap sometimes to shake him out of his seeming disinterest. "I know John…but your idea of 'serious' about something is a lot different than mine. I think you know that by now"

"I do, I guess I'm just not sure what running through some woods with my hands tied behind my back will accomplish. It's not like there'll be trees in the future anyways" he pointed out, trying to get his point of view across and hoping he would understand.

Chuckling a little more convincingly this time, Derek shook his head. "We couldn't exactly do this downtown John. I'm trying to get you used to facing the worst case scenario…" he paused and turned serious "…If you can survive the worst thing that can possibly happen, the other possibilities are a walk in the park"

John's mood turned serious to match his uncle's, his frown only serving to punctuate it. "What is the worst thing that can possibly happen? Out there I mean, in the future?"

"For you?" he asked, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the road.

"Yeah, what's the thing we fear the most out in the field?"

"Exactly what I just trained you to avoid…" Derek paused and frowned, having considered this many a sleepless night "…You can NEVER allow yourself to be captured John. Skynet has agents from the future back here right now, they know who you are, what you look like…you won't be going to a work camp this time"

John fell silent, he'd never considered the consequences of all this messing with the timelines that both he and Skynet were guilty of. Not only would he be targeted immediately, but he would be killed on sight as soon as he was identified. Skynet wouldn't be taking any chances, anyone even remotely linked with John Connor would be killed. No work camps, no great legendary tales of escape from said camp, just death, probably a quick one, Skynet was efficient that way.

"Do what you have to do Derek. I'll take all this seriously from now on. No joking, no messing"

Surprisingly Derek smiled and actually rubbed his nephew's hair in that same infuriating way his mother always does. "I was planning on it. But seriously, Conn…YOU, had no patience for bitching and whining in the future"

Pausing only to smirk, Derek continued. "Never too early to adopt that trait"

Chuckling more to himself than anything, John looked sidelong at his uncle with a smile. "Yeah, I'll leave the bitching and nagging to Cameron. She's surprisingly good at it"

Suddenly Derek's face turned to stone and he looked back at the road. "If she becomes a distraction…"

"She won't, I promise" John said, not giving him a chance to finish his sentence.

"Good…" he said with a nod "…She uh…can actually help, if she wants to that is"

Wow, now that felt odd for Derek. He wasn't used to asking the cyborg to do anything. He was more accustomed to issuing orders to her kind than asking for things.

John quirked a suspicious eyebrow in Derek's direction. "Yeah? How?" he asked warily.

"You wanna be able to walk tomorrow?" he paused and smirked "Have her do a little work on your lower back before you crash"

Frowning, more in confusion than disapproval, John didn't quite know what to make of that suggestion. "My back feels fine…not that I wouldn't appreciate it but…"

"Trust me on this one…" Derek said with a laugh "…or don't. It'll be kinda funny watching you walk around bent at the waist all day"

Making a mental note to himself to get a little TLC from Cameron, John looked over at his uncle who appeared in good spirits for a change. "Thanks Derek, for doing this I mean"

Looking over at John with that evil Reese smirk growing on his lips, Derek looked nothing short of menacing at that moment. "We'll see if you still wanna thank me tomorrow"

* * *

As far as John was concerned, tackling that flight of stairs was more akin to climbing Everest than the simple task it was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so exhausted and he wondered how people did this on a day to day basis, he felt like one day was on the verge of killing him. His body ached all over and his feet stung with every step. All he wanted was a shower and his bed.

Stepping in to his new bedroom, he was pleasantly surprised to find Cameron sitting Indian style on his bed with his laptop in her folded legs. She'd changed from the last time he'd seen her, now she was wearing a simple white cotton tank top and pink cotton short shorts, her hair appeared slightly damp and her head quirked slightly to the side as she concentrated on whatever it was she was doing.

"Hi Princess"

John wandered over to the bed and slumped down tiredly on the edge beside her. He leaned over and confidently dropped a kiss on her cheek, then set about the arduous task of removing his boots.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked while tugging on his laces.

Cameron looked up from the laptop as if noticing his presence for the first time. "I was researching something" she answered as she closed the lid of the laptop and set it aside. John found the way she daintily folded her hands in her lap and waited for a response irresistibly adorable.

John nodded and returned to the battle with his boots. Eventually he managed to kick them off and frowned when he caught sight of blood on the tops of his socks where his toes were. Clearly his feet weren't used to the punishment of running miles and miles in combat boots. Remembering what she'd just said to him, John glanced back over his shoulder.

"Research? About what?"

"Delivery times" she stated, as if it were obvious.

She also didn't fail to notice him wincing as he pulled off his boots and the frown when he examined what lay underneath. It appeared that Derek had been tough on him for their first day's training. Deciding against trying to comfort him, something he wasn't seeking and might reject, Cameron continued the conversation as if nothing were out of place.

"Delivery times for what?" he asked distractedly as he peeled his socks off and tossed them in to the corner beside the boots. He was far too tired to care if he was making a mess. He just wanted to have a shower and curl up in bed, preferably with Cameron right there next to him.

"Our new bed…" she said with a smile, despite the fact he was still facing away from her "…Sarah wouldn't let me stay when she paid for it…" Cameron paused and frowned at the memory of that particular incident "…She said I would embarrass her by asking too many questions"

John couldn't stifle a chuckle at that, it was like she could read his mind. "_Our_ new bed. I think I like the sound of that"

He stood and leaned over the bed while trying not to allow anything to come in to contact with his red raw toes and planted a kiss on the tip of her nose, earning himself a half frown, half smile at the action. He turned and hobbled towards the shared en suite bathroom, similar to the old house when a thought struck him.

"Wait, what kind of questions could you have embarrassed my mom with about a bed"

Cameron frowned, not only at the sight of her John in such obvious pain, but at the memories of the day. "I believe I failed with a certain aspect of human integration. Apparently it's impolite to test out a bed…vigorously in the store"

Shaking his head with a smile, John took up a position in front of the sink and pictured Cameron bouncing around on every bed in the store until she found 'the one'.

_Nah, she wouldn't do that. Right?_

Deciding a shower would be too much of a struggle, he stripped off his shirt as best his tired muscles would allow before turning the tap on full as hot as it would go. "Well, we wouldn't want it breaking every few days now would we?"

Cameron shook her head, despite the fact nobody was around to see it. Some of these human traits she'd picked up were often a source of fascination for her. "No, that's what I wished to enquire from the lady at the checkout. Sarah however deemed this behaviour unacceptable"

"Yeah, mom can be kind of a killjoy like that"

John splashed some water on to his face before wetting a washcloth. Running it over the back of his neck, he felt relief flooding through him at the warm water on his stressed and tired muscles. He was so not used to this physical activity. While it was true he could probably outmatch most eighteen year olds who didn't spend all day in the gym, he was in no fit state to be tackling what he would have to face in the future.

He had gotten soft recently. The training in his early life had stood him in good stead, however recently he'd been slipping, probably since they jumped eight years to the future. Couple that with his attempts at having a semi normal life and his ill fated relationship with Riley, John Connor had become, not pudgy, but definitely not in as good a shape as he should've been.

"So, did you girls have fun today?"

Despite her previous musings, Cameron found herself smiling again. "We did. We went shopping for furniture, then Amy requested we stop for ice cream, the I picked up some things while her and Sarah were eating"

It wasn't like Cameron to get verbal diarrhoea like that. But that day was probably one of the more pleasant in her short life. With the exception of John not being there, she would certainly class it as enjoyable. Safe in the knowledge that Derek was with John in the middle of nowhere with little risk to him, coupled with the burden of protecting Sarah falling on Amy, Cameron found herself able to 'relax' fully, if only for one day. While she'd certainly have preferred to be out there with John, to protect him always, she understood his reasoning for doing what he was doing and knew she shouldn't be there for it.

Besides, it was nice to just be herself for a day, and she was sure John wouldn't complain when he found out what it was she bought.

Smiling at her tidal wave of information and listening to the small sense of excitement in her voice, John did his best to wipe away the sweat and grime from his upper body with only a washcloth. "What did you get?"

"Some new…clothing" she replied carefully.

"That's great Cameron…" John replied distractedly as he dried himself off with a towel. Giving himself a quick squirt of deodorant he deemed his appearance satisfactory "…I know most of your stuff was left behind" he said as he re-emerged from the bathroom.

"Yes, I'm thankful to Derek for retrieving my jacket…" she paused for a moment, somehow unable to comprehend what she was about to say "…I didn't think he was that considerate, especially towards me"

John stopped in his tracks and considered her comment and her thoughtful look. Thinking back to Derek's earlier suggestion about Cameron, his head quirked a bit to the side. "Yeah, Derek can surprise you sometimes. Who knows, maybe we're seeing a new and more cuddly Derek" he said with a chuckle, causing Cameron's eyebrow to creep up her forehead ever so slightly.

"How was your day?"

"Long, very long" was his answer as he tried to suppress a yawn. He flicked the lights off in the bathroom and hobbled over to the bed. Slumping down on it, he crawled the rest of the way and cuddled up beside Cameron with a tired smile. By this point she'd stretched her legs out and appeared to just be lounging.

Cameron smiled by way of reply and brought a hand up to idly and comfortably play with the short hairs at the back of his head. "Was it a day well spent?"

Finding the simple activity incredibly soothing and relaxing, John did his best to shrug. "I'm not sure. I've got a long way to go…" he paused only to cuddle up even closer to her, taking in her sweet scent "…Glad I'm home now though"

"As am I…" she paused and considered his statement. Finding an opportunity to expand her knowledge of her boyfriends psyche, Cameron stopped the movement of her fingers "…You consider this place to be your home already?"

Despite his initial irritation at the loss of the comforting gesture, John thought about her question for a long moment. Eventually he arrived at an answer and immediately felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. He pushed through it however, she may as well know how he felt. "Not the house…you"

Quirking her head to the side in familiar fashion, Cameron processed what he'd just said. "Really?" she asked, somewhat sceptically and resumed her movement.

"I've spent my whole life running from place to place Cameron…" he paused and looked up to meet her eyes, wanting her to fully understand this "…Home is people, not places. Before it was mom…now it's you"

Before she even stopped to consider anything, Cameron found herself leaning in closer to him and kissed him softly and tenderly. After a moment she pulled back and frowned. "Thank you for saying that. I…I…it's good that you feel that way"

Never before had Cameron wanted so desperately to tell him she loved him. But she couldn't, not yet, not until she was sure. If John had taught her anything it was that he appreciated honesty above all things. He'd always hated it whenever she lied, and she wasn't ready to lie about something as important as this just because she knew it was what he wanted to hear.

Seeing her frown and noticing the signs of an internal struggle, John's face formed in to a frown to match hers. His frown however was born out of his dislike of seeing her struggle with things like this. "Hey, I don't expect you to say anything Cameron. I don't tell you how I feel because I expect a response…" he paused and tilted her chin up before returning her kiss. He felt her lips latch on to his almost desperately, so much so he didn't want to stop, but he did "…take your time"

Cameron paused and looked at him, her eyes flitting about his face, searching for something she knew she wouldn't find, insincerity. Finding none, as she expected, Cameron felt a wave of relief flood over her. John wouldn't put any undue pressure on her to say what he wanted to hear, and for that she was glad. It meant she could continue to function as she was, as his girlfriend while still being able to sort through her new and confusing emotions.

Falling back to her standard and, she had to admit, preferred form of expressing her feelings, her hands slowly drifted from his hair and down his spine, earning herself a shiver of anticipation from him. "Sarah said she wouldn't be back home for another hour"

John smiled and let a couple of fingers dance slowly up and down her bare arm. "Really? Now?"

Cameron shrugged and used the movement to sink herself down lower on to the bed. "Why not? I'm due to be tucked in to my bed in three hours and twenty nine minutes. We might not get the chance to do this again for a while"

"Sounds logical…" John said through a smile as he levered himself on top of her and set about kissing at the curve of her neck and up towards her ear. "…smart, even"

She tilted her head to allow him greater access to her neck. "I'm a smart girl John" she said as she hooked a leg over his.

John pulled back and ran his eyes appraisingly over her body and clothes, his grin growing by the second. "You wouldn't happen to be wearing one of your recent purchases would you?"

"I believe the correct phrase is, that's for me to know and for you to find out" she said with a smile and an inviting wriggle underneath him.

The most coherent thing John could come up with at that moment was a low groan as he attacked her mouth with his. Trying to simultaneously pull her shirt off over her head, he realised he couldn't accomplish both and pulled back to remove her shirt. He returned to his previous spot on her neck with a sly smile. "I thought you weren't going to let me corrupt you?"

"You can be…" she paused, John's questing lips and tongue brushing over a particularly sensitive spot "…very persuasive"

"Yeah…" he mumbled against her skin as he ran his tongue once again over the spot that just caused her to shiver. Mentally adding it to his ever growing catalogue of knowledge about what gets Cameron going "…doesn't hurt I can't say no to you"

"You do seem to have a weak will…" she paused and sucked in a tiny gasping breath, giving John all the more encouragement as he returned to his exploration of her neck "…Perhaps you should have Derek work on that" Cameron was by far an inactive participant as her hands ran up and down his back, her fingertips dipping in to his waistband ever so slightly.

John pulled back with a wicked smile and glanced down at her new bra approvingly, a cute pink and white striped number with an adorable ribbon bow in the middle, his eyebrow quirked up almost involuntarily. "You really want me to get better at being able to resist you?"

Having no patience for her sometimes idiotic human, Cameron reached up and pulled his head down to her chest with a resounding slap of skin hitting skin. "Never"

"Didn't think so" he mumbled against her skin as he kissed along the edge of the frilly garment. He had to admit, the feeling of her hands drifting lazily up and down his back felt remarkably soothing. The feel of Cameron's perfect, completely flawless, smooth and slightly chill skin caused John to pause just for a moment to lay his cheek on her chest and get comfortable.

Cameron meanwhile continued the motion of her hands and made similar movements with the leg draped over his, just enjoying the feeling of having her John pressed so close to her. Only when they were like this could she forget who and what they both were, they were simply John and Cameron enjoying each other's closeness.

John's body meanwhile slowly started to go slack, relaxing bit by bit until his entire weight settled down on top of her, his stubble scratching the top of her chest while his head subconsciously burrowed closer to her.

Noticing the extra weight on top of her and missing the feel of his lips exploring her chest, Cameron stopped the movement of her hands and looked down at him, or rather at the top of his head. "John?" she chanced in a quiet voice.

Mumbling something unintelligible, even to her advanced hearing, John's arms either side of her closed in and tugged him more snugly towards her.

Cameron frowned at the lack of movement and withdrew her hands from his back. She wiggled underneath him to try and get his attention. "John!"

"Mmnno now Cammm…" he mumbled against her chest.

Her frown deepened and she give him a bit of a petulant shove to his arm. He shifted slightly from the contact but immediately cuddled himself back in tighter against her. "Love you"

Cameron's frown immediately lessened. While she was indeed disappointed, and kinda stuck there in only her bra and shorts, she understood why he fell asleep. However she wasn't about to let him off so lightly with falling asleep on top of her and made a mental note to bring it up with him at an inappropriately public time.

Wrapping her arms around him and closing her eyes, she settled in for the night. Her bedtime would simply have to wait until another night.

* * *

_There, that's good enough, right?_

As Derek looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but feel nervous. Tonight's date was the first that was arranged by him and the first he'd planned. He hadn't planned a date since 2011 when he was sixteen. For some reason he didn't think a bunch of flowers and his dad's tie would cut it this time.

However, owing to the fact that the last house was now somewhat out of bounds, he was now left without a suit to wear. He hadn't had the chance to buy one since the move and he forgot to pick one up when he was grabbing things from the house, suits weren't exactly high on his priority list.

Hopefully his choice of smart jeans and a jacket would suffice for what he had planned. He had no doubts Jessica would turn up in something absolutely beautiful that probably cost more than anything without doors and a steering wheel should. But that was what he liked about her, ever since they'd met, she always looked immaculate. That, and the fact that she got turned on by every little thing that made Derek, well Derek. Sometimes all it took was a scratch of his stubble and the next thing he knew she was on him like a rabid dog.

Smirking to himself, he made sure said stubble looked just right and added a quick splash of aftershave to round off his preparations before stepping out of his new room. The small room, the one with the two wide open windows he'd already blacked out much to Sarah's annoyance, the room Amy argued with him over. She got the big room, he wound up with the small because she knew about his relationship. He didn't want the family finding out about her, not just yet anyway. He needed to brief everyone on their covers first, and he had a feeling that neither John nor Cameron would be happy at having to play siblings again.

Not to mention the fact that Sarah was instantly mistrusting of anyone she didn't know completely. In her mind, that meant John and not many others. Plus the two, Sarah and Jessica were likely to grate on each other. Jessica was pretty, pampered and had no clue about real life. Sarah was hard as nuclear nails and would give Stallone a run for his money in the Rambo stakes. The two would give him endless grief if he played this wrong. On one hand he had Sarah, the mother of his nephew and not a woman to be trifled with. On the other hand, Jessica was a model who was sexing him up. A tough choice for any red blooded man.

Stepping out in to the hallway, he quietly made his way towards the stairs not wanting to alert any pesky liquid metal machines that he was going somewhere. He snuck past her room, filled to the brim with Benny Bear. What a waste, that could've been his room.

The next door on his way made him stop in his tracks. Catching sight of John slumped asleep on top of the metal, two things ran through his head. The first was, if John was tired now, he had no chance of coping with what he had planned. The second was the way that Cameron gently ran her fingers soothingly through his hair. Fingers that could snap his neck with little more than a twitch were now slowly and, dare he say it, lovingly stroking his nephew while he slept. Apparently his earlier suggestion of a massage wasn't too farfetched after all.

The metal clearly thought she was in love with John. Either that or this was simply her method of self preservation, sex up John so that when the time comes he won't want to scrap her. Every fibre of his being was telling him it was the latter. All his years of hating anything made of metal and treating them as nothing but tools to be used and discarded made him want to burst in there and deal with it personally.

But his opinion had started to change from the point where Cameron had told him about his child, the child he lost with Jesse. He thanked her that day. Thanking a metal was something unheard of for him. But now as he watched her actions, every movement so precise and calculated, his opinion of her and machines in general was starting to change. Who knows, maybe she might be good for John.

At the end of the day, that was all that mattered to him, what was important for and to John. Earlier he'd asked if Cameron would become a distraction, and he'd asked her the same thing a long time ago. Now it appeared that she was anything but. John depended on her, he needed her, and that meant Derek wouldn't do anything to threaten his precious girlfriend. If it was important to John, his General, then it was important to him too.

Now if only he could get the other one out of his hair everything would be golden.

* * *

**As always huge thanks to Dekardkain. Sorry for the delay on this one, as you can see it was a monster and I found it difficult to motivate myself for some reason.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi,**

**Thanks to reviewers Vintorez, olischulu, jojobevco, darkfinder, XxDeathStarxX, kaotic2, lje100smith, morded, Gulliman, EvilTheLast, sasha starr, Dragon_Seraphin, leex02, TCandBTVSluver, Nyrki, 1080 and nubbs2027**

* * *

"Mmnot now Derek…gimme a few more hours and we can spend all day in bed for all I care…just not now"

Jessica snuggled her head deeper in to her pillow and did her best to try and shrug Derek off of her. Derek of course had woken her by accident and not for the reasons she assumed. It was four AM and he had to be back at the house to wake John up, it wouldn't do for the discipline he was preaching to him to be undone because he didn't want to leave the warmth of his girlfriend's bed.

"What?" Derek replied, still mostly asleep "Oh, no, sorry, I have to go"

_Unfortunately._

"The fuck? At…" she replied in a less than ladylike manner, rubbing her eyes and sitting up to glare at the clock "…four AM? Where the hell could you need to be at four AM?"

"I uh, have a thing I need to do. Family business you know" he answered, letting her understandably sour mood slide while he stood from the bed and started pulling his boxers on.

"You family is awake at four AM?" she asked, looking decidedly dubious "Sure you don't have to get home before your wife notices?" her tone was somewhat playful, but also carried a hint of doubt and nervousness.

Derek stopped and chuckled at her tiny pout he could just about make out in the dark. "Don't worry sweetheart, your position is safe for the time being"

Jessica frowned and sat up in bed properly, holding the sheets up against her chest in a departure from her so far less than ladylike mood this morning. She was barely aware four AM even existed, let alone had ever woken up this early. "This is supposed to be your position too. I cleared away the next few days to spend time with you"

Derek stopped, his jeans midway up his legs and looked over at her. "You, you did…really?"

Now he really couldn't believe his luck. Here she was, this innocent young angel, clearing her diary to be with him. He felt a pang of guilt when he didn't really need to. Since he'd known her he'd been a perfect gentleman, he really cared for her and she seemed emphatuated with him for some reason. Perhaps it was a typical alpha male reaction to be protective of the women in his life, but he couldn't really protect her from himself,could he?

She pouted. "I could have gone to Paris for fashion week…" she grinned and allowed the sheet to slip out of her grasp, exposing her bare upper body to the cool morning air "…but I didn't want to leave you that long"

Derek simply stood for a moment. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so torn about a decision in all his life. One the one hand he had a beautiful, naked woman pouting at him, on the other he had his responsibilities to train the saviour of all mankind. A tough decision for any red blooded man to have to make. Eventually his big head won out over his little head and he made the correct, if somewhat unenviable decision.

Taking the few short steps back over to the bed, he leaned down and kissed her long, slow and lovingly. Her soft lips making him regret his decision already. "Tell you what, you go back to sleep. I'll be back to make you breakfast in bed, how does that sound?"

Jessica smirked and rubbed the scruff on his cheek with the palm of her hand. "Only if you promise to wake me up like that"

"Deal" Derek said with a grin as he leaned down for another lingering kiss. She lay back down and he pulled the sheet back up over her shoulders and watched as she closed her eyes. He finished up pulling on his clothes and spared one last glance back at the bed before he slipped out to do what had to be done.

* * *

One thing Cameron always found intriguing was human snoring. It was inefficient design on their part, surely they could've been constructed with wider nasal cavities to allow for easier breathing. It was a design flaw that had of course carried over in to her. She was capable of mimicking sleep, her chest would rise and fall, her eyes would rapidly move, and a soft snore would be heard as part of the routine.

However now as she lay listening to John Connor snore, lying on top of her, she couldn't help but feel content.

In her relatively short existence, she'd been through a lot. She'd killed her template, she'd tried to kill John Connor, she'd been captured and reprogrammed. She'd traveled in time, twice. She'd been blown up and tried to kill John Connor…again. She'd developed beyond her emotional limits and she'd entered in to a relationship with the man she'd tried to kill twice.

All in all it was a fairly interesting life. Just when she'd started considering it a 'life', she didn't quite know. It was probably around the same time that she started feeling sexually attracted to the human currently slumped on top of her. But her life had certainly taken a turn for the better over the past few weeks and months.

John's mistrust of her had all but disappeared, replaced by love and adoration. She had a new friend, albeit an odd one in Amy. Sarah was beginning to accept her as more than just some worthless piece of metal and had approved her relationship with John. Even Derek had started to acknowledge her with more than just grunts lately.

She'd never felt so content with her life as she was now. If it were up to her, John could stay there for all eternity as far as she was concerned. He of course had this quest of his to bring her to her own equivalent of an orgasm. While she understood his desire, it really didn't matter all that much to her. She enjoyed sex with him, she really did, but he was insistent there was more to take from the experience.

While she found his effort endearing, she was a little worried about his ability and stamina. Her data suggested that she responded better to a faster pace and longer sessions. But humans only have limited amounts of energy, and she had a feeling it would take a superhuman effort to bring her to her climax, something she was reluctant to mention to John.

However, despite all that, as she looked down and idly played with the short hairs on his head, Cameron knew she wouldn't trade him for anyone else, despite his limitations. He was the only one who had faith in her when she went bad, the only one who had faith in her when Riley was killed, the only one capable of loving her.

Smiling to herself, she heard a hitch in his breathing and his body tensed. A sure sign he was waking up.

She removed her hands from his head and allowed him to stir on his own.

John opened his eyes and was just about to stretch out his stiff body when something struck him as out of place. Not only was his head not on his pillow, but his body wasn't on his mattress either. A scent of something pleasant filled his nostrils, a scent he loved and was getting more familiar with every day. Cameron.

Trying to stretch out his muscles ready for the day, his attempted moan of pleasure at finding his girlfriend underneath him first thing in the morning, quickly turned in to a groan of unhappiness as his body protested at the slightest movement.

"Are you alright?" Cameron asked, looking down at him with a frown as she lay her hand on top of his head and started to idly stroke his hair.

"I'm fine" he tilted his head up to look at her, instantly regretting it when his neck cracked in protest. "Shit…Derek was actually right about something!"

"About what?" she asked with a tilt of her head, genuinely curious as to what it could be.

With a groan, John rolled off to his side and tried to rub the juncture of his neck and shoulder until the knot went away. Cameron was a lot of things to him, she was strong, beautiful, amazing and sexy…but a comfortable pillow, she was not. "He said if I didn't get a massage my back would lock up" he paused and rolled his eyes "I thought he was just making a dig at you"

Cameron rolled on to her side to face him and propped her head up on her arm. "Perhaps he was simply concerned for your wellbeing" she offered with a frown "I've never given a massage before. Would you like one now? I'm programmed with a complete anatomy, I can be very effective"

John frowned, not only at the thought of her having a total anatomy of him, but mostly because she gave no thought to herself. Instead she focused on him, when he was the one who fell asleep on top of her the night before, he should be the one being nice and trying to make it up to her. "No Cameron" he smiled and leaned in for a belated good morning kiss. "You don't have to do that" he explained, his guilt winning out in the end.

Cameron felt a little disappointed by his seeming rejection and it showed on her face. Now she was at a loss for what to do. He was in obvious pain, he didn't want a massage, what could she do for him that wouldn't cause more pain? "Wouldn't you like a massage?"

John was momentarily thrown by her frown, she couldn't be angry with him could she? Did she not want him touching her again? "Like I said, you don't have to"

He reached over and stroked the side of her face, relief evident when she didn't pull away. He tucked some errant hair behind her ear and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry about last night, I uh…I'm not really sure how that happened"

Cameron leaned in to his touch subconsciously, her eyes closing slightly. "You were tired, you fell asleep" she reasoned with a shrug "You don't have anything to be sorry for"

"But I didn't want to sleep" he complained as he idly played with the waistband of her shorts. The reason he didn't want to go to sleep starting to stir despite the ungodly hour. "Did mom give you any trouble for staying in here?"

"I don't think she knows. She returned home and went straight to her room" Cameron chose not to mention that she heard Sarah throwing up as soon as she reached her bathroom, then stumble in to bed right afterward. John didn't need to know that, he had too much on his mind already.

John nodded absently, oddly focused on her lips as she spoke, and the way they settled in to an adorable pout when she stopped speaking. "Thank you for staying"

"You're welcome" Cameron replied with a smile, clearly pleasantly surprised by his decent mood given the time and his obvious pain.

John sat up and glanced at the clock. He had to suppress a groan as he realised Derek would be knocking his door down in about half an hour. "I'm going to have to leave for training soon" a small smile quickly grew in to a devilish grin as he pulled the waistband of her shorts away from her body and released it to slap gently against her body. "Feel like helping me…stretch?"

With a smile, Cameron laid her hand on his hip. "Given your early sleep, you should be…well rested" her mouth formed in to the merest ghost of a smile which John took as a sign of encouragement.

He smiled back before leaning in for a lingering kiss, wondering just how she got so good at doing that, getting him so worked up as easily as she did. "Very well rested"

He let his eyes wander, they drifted almost automatically to the cute bra he never got the chance to explore the night before. The grin on his face grew even wider. "You really do have a killer sense of style, you know that right?"

"I try my best" she rolled on to her back and pulled him with her, however John's face scrunched up in to a frown when she stopped his attempt at leaning in for a kiss with a hand on his chest.

He glanced down at the hand pointedly with a smirk. "Um, Cameron?"

"You do realise you have a lot of making up to do for last night" her eyes flicked downwards pointedly "You left me hanging John"

Taking the hint, John shifted his weight to one arm and used the other to shimmy the shorts down her legs, revealing matching panties. _Damn this girl has good taste._

"Okay, what can I possibly do to make it up to you Princess?" John's smirk was downright lecherous.

"You wish me to experience the same pleasure you do?" she asked seriously.

"You know I do" John felt her hand relent it's impenetrable block on his chest give a little, he took the opportunity and leaned in to attack the spot on her neck he discovered the night before with his tongue.

She let out a tiny involuntary gasp as his lips brushed over that spot. Evidently her John was a fast learner. "Practice makes perfect" she remarked as she removed her hand from his chest, taking away the last obstacle between them.

"Then we'll just have to make sure we get lots" smirking, John ran his tongue gently down the side of her neck to her collarbone, nibbling along the edge and working his way down to her chest. Kiss by kiss, he stopped only to tease her a little by mumbling against her smooth skin. "Lots, lots, LOTS of practice"

Cameron smiled to herself, looking down with keen interest as her boyfriend seemingly tried to cover every inch of her body with his tongue. Her earlier thoughts were proving to be correct, she'd never felt a sense of contentment so strong in all of her short existence. As his tongue brushed over a particularly sensitive spot, she took the initiative and fell back to what she knew, data collected over time and added to a database. "Lower…I have a theory"

"A theory?" he said with a nod, the short stubble on his chin brushing against her chest with the movement. He found himself grinning, despite the fact he was supposed to be taking this seriously. "That's…intriguing"

Nodding, Cameron placed her hands on the back of his head and guided him to where she wanted him. "Kiss from my breasts down to my panty line and back up…slowly." Her data indicated that she may find increased sensitivity in this area, and as long as John was intent on doing this, she wanted to help him out as much as she could.

John meanwhile quirked a brow, while he certainly didn't mind her giving him detailed instructions, he was pretty sure a human girl wouldn't have been so precise. With Riley, it'd pretty much been confined to moaning and yanking his head to where she wanted him, usually by the hair.

But that was on of the things he loved about Cameron, so different, so unique. She had her own gloriously blunt way of dealing with things, and he wasn't above denying her what she wanted. Spending the next minute or so hitting all the spots he knew she seemed to enjoy, he slowly began drifting lower, planting kiss after kiss after nibble after suck down and over her stomach.

He paused only when his chin came in to contact with the adorable bow at the top of her panties. He glanced up at her mischievously, deciding he had a better idea than hers. "Are you sure this is…low enough?"

She had considered making him follow through with her idea, but then a sudden thought occurred. He'd never been down there during foreplay before, the thought intrigued her. "You wish to…continue lower?"

"I've heard women say it's better than sex" he explained with a shrug before planting a soft kiss and a gentle nibble on her elevated inner thigh. He simultaneously ran his fingertips over her lower stomach, just above her panties. "Do you want to try?"

_How could it be better than sex?_

As Cameron calculated how it could possibly be better than sex, she hooked her thumbs in her panties and hesitated. She always wanted to feel a sense of closeness whenever she was with John, what was about to happen would deprive her of that. She'd made the point plenty of times that she wasn't a human woman, she didn't react exactly the same way.

"We don't have to if you're uncomfortable" he sensed her hesitation and took it for her being nervous at what they were about to do, though for the life of him he couldn't understand why. She had no discernible sense of modesty as far as he could tell, so why was she so hesitant? Attempting to gently reassure her, he stopped the movement of his fingers on her stomach and looked up at her eyes. "But I think it might help you get…warmed up" he shrugged, and as if that wasn't bad enough he felt his cheeks burning.

Cameron looked down at him, seeing how difficult this was for him made her curse her own programming. This was a difficult subject for him, he clearly felt it reflected on his masculinity and his primal need to do this. Her logic however was interfering with his wishes. Forcing herself to put aside her thoughts and doubts, she slowly pulled her panties down her thighs…at least as far as his head placement would allow.

John smiled, trying to take his time, to be gentle and reassuring. If she was nervous about this then he wasn't about to go crashing in like a mad bull. Sliding the panties the rest of the way off and depositing them in the same spot on the floor as her shorts, John leaned in for a quick kiss. "Relax, this is about you Cameron. It's the least I can do after falling asleep on you.

With that he dipped his head to work down the same path he'd took a few moments ago. Starting with her neck, he slowly, gently and tenderly made his way lower, hitting every spot he knew she was sensitive in. He did his best to lift her upper body up off the sheets, with her assistance of course and undid the clasp of her bra. He took hold of the flimsy garment blocking his view and tossed it aside, not caring where it landed in the slightest. Now fully exposed to him, John made sure to explore every newly uncovered inch.

Letting out a tiny gasp as his tongue brushed over a particularly sensitive area, Cameron looked down at her John. While what he was doing was indeed pleasurable, she still couldn't shake the thought that she simply wanted sex with him. None of this foreplay he seemed to enjoy so much, she was sure she didn't take as much out of the act as he did. As he slid lower, his tongue cheekily dipping in and out of her navel. She lay her hands on top of his where they were placed on her midriff as a sign of encouragement.

Taking her touch as the sign it was intended to be, John nodded and lowered himself between her legs and spread them gently. Pausing to trail a line of kisses down her inner thigh, he looked up at her for approval one last time. Receiving it in the form of a nod and a smile, he sank lower to her centre.

He knew from several blind fumbles in his younger days and from what knowledge he'd managed to glean from being with Cameron the short time they had, roughly where she was sensitive. He tried to hit all those spots first with his lips and tongue, gently kissing and licking the area, occasionally glancing up to gauge her reactions to his actions.

Cameron found the sensations intriguing, while they caused her body to move involuntarily, caused her to gasp, she found them to be less pleasing than sex. Her body was being stimulated, her body was feeling pleasure, but her mind found the experience lacking. She missed the connection and closeness she felt during sex. While the direct stimulus of sex may have been slightly less if measured on a scale, John certainly was closer to achieving his goal through sex than he was through what he was doing now. Still, she would persevere, for him,

John continued to work on her for a few minutes, taking her shivers and gasps as a sign that he was on the right track. He wanted this to work, he wanted her to be thrashing around and screaming his name in cries of pleasure. He wanted, however he didn't expect. True, his movements caused her body to react, but he got the distinct sense she wasn't enjoying it nearly as much as he'd hoped. In fact, he sincerely hoped she enjoyed it more than his jaw currently was.

Sighing, he eventually dropped one last kiss on her sex before pulling himself back up her body, kissing along the way. He came to rest between her legs and gently stroked the side of her face. "Did it help?"

"It was…" she reached up and copied his actions by stroking the side of his face, almost by way of an apology "…different"

Despite his seeming failure, John smirked, glad he knew his love well enough to read between the lines. "But you still want sex don't you?"

"If it's not too much trouble" she pulled him down for a long, deep kiss. Well, she intended it to be a long, deep kiss, however she was startled after a couple of seconds by an…interesting taste that she clearly wasn't expecting.

John chuckled at the way her face scrunched up, absolutely adoring how innocently naïve she was at times. He leaned down for another kiss, glad she didn't pull back this time. "Sex with my beautiful" kiss "amazing" kiss "sexy" kiss "girlfriend" he dropped another kiss on her lips. "That's one hell of an ordeal, but I think I can manage it"

He smiled and sat back on his haunches and started working on his belt buckle, having crashed before he got the chance to take them off last night…he was just glad he managed a wash.

Cameron sat up too, her legs still spread either side of him and kissed his bare chest. Her hands replaced his on his belt buckle and she swiftly and efficiently removed his pants and boxers before laying back down, her hair fanning out on the pillow beside her head.

"Thanks for letting me try" John said with a sigh as he sank back down on top of her. He kissed her forehead and pulled back. "I'm sorry it wasn't…what I was hoping it would be"

Cameron frowned, she didn't like seeing him being so dejected by feeling like he'd failed. "I told you I was different. I felt something, it was…pleasant, but not better than sex with you…I'm sorry"

John nodded, forcing a smile to mask his growing frustration. "Well, maybe it will make the sex better"

He lowered himself down, endeavouring to give her the maximum amount of physical contact she seemed to crave from him. "Tell you what…why don't you tell me what you want"

Taking a moment to consider, Cameron looked up at him with big, open, curious eyes. "I like it when you kiss my neck" she spoke in a quiet, timid voice, as if the mere concept of asking for things was foreign to her. Laying her hands on his back, she started to lightly trail her fingernails up and down, hoping she was being reassuring.

Leaning down to oblige her request, John started slowly kissing the spot he knew caused her to shiver delightfully. At the same moment, he brought them together with a barely suppressed groan.

"What else?"

Cameron paused for a few long moments, simply savouring the ever growing familiar feeling of being joined with her John. Finally allowing her eyes to flutter open, she thought about his question. What did she enjoy?

She accessed her memory files, looking for occurrences when she felt that same sense of contentment she felt earlier. Then she came across something that made her smile almost automatically each and every time it happened. "Tell me you love me"

John pulled back a bit and smiled down at her before slowly starting to move his hips. "I love you. I'll always love you Cameron"

Just as Cameron found herself opening her mouth to speak, she remembered her promise to herself that she wouldn't lie to John. She wouldn't tell him she loved him if she didn't. She looked up at John as he leaned down and nibbled along her collarbone, his hips finding a steady rhythm. The man she was now with loved her, her, a machine programmed to kill him. The least she could do was reciprocate, tell him she loved him. It was what he wanted, it was what she wanted, and yet she still didn't truly know love, the most complex of emotions.

Cameron's face formed in to a frown, despite the pleasurable feelings racing through her body from between her legs. She couldn't get rid of the thought that she somehow wasn't good enough for John. She wasn't capable of returning his love at this time, then why carry on this facade. Sex was the only way of showing him how she felt about him, and she couldn't even do that right.

The next thing Cameron knew, she was shaken out of her thoughts when John hissed in pain. Looking up at him, she caught sight of him wincing, his movement momentarily halting. Just as she was about to enquire as to the cause of his pain, she realised her left fist had clenched, driving her nails deep in to the skin of his back. Quickly releasing her grip, Cameron immediately started worrying what his reaction would be.

The pain wasn't that bad, sure it hurt, but it was no worse than the pain he felt all over from the day before. Plus, if she was feeling enough to squeeze too hard like that, then he must be on the right track. It wasn't exactly cracking the headboard, but it was progress.

"Hey" he leaned down for a kiss which she hesitantly returned. "Watch it there Tiger. I don't wear a shirt when I'm training, and marks like that will be hard to explain to Derek" he chuckled as he kept up a steady rhythm and returned his attention to her lips.

Feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt, Cameron didn't know how to react. She found herself kissing him back almost on autopilot while the guilt ate away at her. She'd hurt her John, the one she was supposed to protect, the one she was supposed to care for.

Deciding the best course of action was to carry on and sort it out later, she resumed her gentle ministrations on his back, taking extra care to skirt around the wound she'd just inflicted on him.

Immediately forgetting about the whole incident, John glanced over at the blinking alarm clock beside the bed. The infernal thing told him he didn't have long before Derek and his bucket would be turning up. He picked up his pace, trying desperately to keep quiet so as not to wake Sarah. He buried his face in the crook of her neck to muffle any sound and concentrated on his movements.

Cameron meanwhile was stroking his back in the same pattern, over and over, her face looking in an almost catatonic state as she lay there contemplating that she'd just injured the one person in the world who cared for her the most. She was so caught up in her guilt that she didn't register the sound of a pair of size twelve boots climbing the stairs.

Derek stepped up to John's door and without stopping to knock, swung the door wide open. Why would he bother to knock, after all, in his mind the kid would surely be fast asleep from yesterday's activities. Plus, the sooner he was done here, the sooner he could get back to the beautiful woman waiting for him to make breakfast and sex him up all day.

John didn't notice the entry, in fact he was too busy concentrating on what he was doing to Cameron to even pay any attention when her face turned in to a frown and her head tilted to the side in confusion. When he did notice it, he mistakenly thought it was a sign she was close, close to making his dream from the day before a reality.

"That's it Cameron, almost there"

Derek screwed his eyes shut in disgust. He sooo did not want to see his nephew on the job, let alone hear him grunt his way through it. He opened his eyes just enough to navigate his way over to the bed and to locate John's ankle. Reaching down, he grabbed it, and pulled, hard. Immediately he turned and started walking away, having no need or desire to see his nephew, who was just buried balls deep in his girlfriend a moment ago, sprawled out naked on the floor.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" John growled, rubbing at the rug burn on his knees with a death glare towards his uncle. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!"

Derek didn't bother to look back. "Get dressed, downstairs in five" he slammed the door shut on his way out before marching downstairs, probably to throw acid in his eyes.

John stumbled back to his feet before whirling around to face Cameron. "Can you believe that guy?"

He turned back to the door in a rage Cameron had barely seen him in, yelling loud enough to make sure even the neighbours heard it, let alone Derek. "We'd better not be working with guns today, or you're a deadman! DEAD!"

With that, he stormed over to the dresser and started digging out clothes, growling and grumbling about Derek the whole time.

Cameron meanwhile had sat up on the edge of the bed, her eyes had never left the wound she'd inflicted on him the whole time since he'd hit the floor. "John…I'm sorry" she said in a quiet, tiny voice.

"No, no, no!" John frowned and buttoned up his pants before jogging over and sitting down beside her on the bed. "It's not your fault Derek's an asshole"

He looked over sadly at her, his anger mostly subsiding at the look on her face. He was sure he was SO close to achieving his goal too before Derek barged in. "I'm sorry we didn't get the chance to finish this"

Cameron frowned at his lack of understanding of her apology. She looked like she was about to say something, then thought better of it. Instead she settled for placing a hesitant kiss on his cheek, as if she was afraid she might hurt him again if she did any more than that. "You should get dressed, you have a long day, as do I"

John nodded, with some obvious reluctance, he grabbed his boots out from under the bed and pulled them on his still swollen and battered feet. Wincing as they protested against the punishment. When he was done with that torture, he stood and dropped a kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you tonight"

Cameron watched as he left, her eyes never leaving his back, his wound. It wasn't long before she started considering ways to fix her hand for good. This was unacceptable.

John walked out of his room to find his mother standing there, still in yesterday's clothes, 9mm in hand, looking for all the world like she needed to shoot something, anything as long as it meant she could go back to bed. "John…what the hell?"

Treating it like nothing more than leaving for school, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Training"

He paused halfway down the stairs. "Oh, and you might wanna say bye to Derek"

"What? Why?"

"Because he's a dead man…have a nice day mom!"

* * *

"Cameron!" Savannah squealed as she looked up from her colouring book to see her friend entering the room. She stood up immediately and bounced over towards her.

Catherine Weaver managed to force a tight smile, more for her 'daughter's' benefit than anyone else's. "Yes dear, say hello to your friend then please go and finish your colouring with John Henry. Cameron and I have…" she paused and looked at Cameron "work matters to discuss.

"Okay" Savannah replied with a pout. "Hi Cameron"

Cameron looked down at the small human, somewhat unsure of how to behave around her. The last time they were together Savannah had taught her how to play patty cake. That seemed inappropriate now with Weaver in attendance.

_Shame, patty cake was fun._

"Hello Savannah…Amy told me to say hello"

"She did?" little Savannah's eyes lit up and her enthusiastic mood returned and she whirled back round to face her mother "Mom…can I ask about the sleepover?"

Catherine looked more than a little put out by her daughter's apparent liking to the machine that referred to itself as Amy. She still didn't trust the unstable machine and exposing Savannah to her wasn't something that appealed to her in the slightest. However Savannah had been nagging her ever since they first met to allow this sleepover to happen.

The concept of a sleepover was frankly baffling to Catherine Weaver. Human's grow accustomed to where they sleep, they prefer to be in their own beds at night. So why did Savannah seem to think that it was a good idea to sleep on the spare bunk at someone else's home? Catherine ensured Savannah's bedroom was the most lavish she could provide. The paintings on the walls would fetch a tidy sum at any auction and the room was designed by a very expensive homosexual French man, so far as she knew that signalled it was desirable in the interior design world.

For reasons she couldn't understand however Savannah insisted that Amy's bedroom was 'so cool' and apparently wanted to have her room be more like hers. Of course Catherine knew better and had downright refused to allow Savannah to paint her walls pink…it wouldn't match the rest of the house.

Now however as she watched her daughter shuffle with nervous energy and anticipation she felt compelled to acquiesce to her wishes. After all, she'd be in a house that is protected by two of her own kind, Sarah Connor and a soldier from the future. She'd be quite safe.

"Very well, but only if Mrs Connor agrees. She isn't as…friendly, as Cameron dear"

Savannah turned back to Cameron, her face displaying a grin that almost stretched to her ears. "Do you think Amy would like to have a sleepover some time? They're real fun!"

"I don't know" was Cameron's honest reply, she had no idea how Amy's mind worked "I can ask" she offered with a small shrug.

"YAAAAY!" Savannah jumped around in glee a little bit until she caught the stern look on her mother's face and settled down right away. "Oh, um, bye Cameron" she quickly grabbed her colouring book and left the room. Cameron watched her go before turning back to Weaver with a neutral mask.

"I appreciate you being prompt Miss Phillips" Weaver stood and motioned to the chair on the opposite side of the desk. She waited until Cameron had seated herself before sitting back down. It was another curious human habit she had picked up, a list of which was rapidly growing, to her disgust, in her CPU. "What can I do for the resistance this morning?"

"John has a request. He's in need of your assistance…more specifically your company's assistance" she reached in to her jeans pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She scanned it quickly to ensure its correctness for the third time before sliding it over the desk to Weaver.

She picked up the paper curiously and her eyes bulged just a little as she read the contents of the list she'd just been presented with. There were enough weapons on the list to arm a small army, though, that was most likely the idea. "And does Mr. Connor understand how difficult some of these things will be to procure for him? The red tape alone will take a team of lawyers weeks to cut through"

Surprisingly, Cameron smiled. "He said he had faith in your ability to…get the job done" she continued to smile as she thought fondly of her John.

Weaver meanwhile couldn't suppress a frown, clearly less than impressed with this cyborg's sentiments as others obviously were. "I didn't say I couldn't accomplish it, or that I wouldn't, simply that it will prove difficult and time consuming"

She paused mid defensive rant and sighed. "You may wish to remind Mr. Connor that he's running up quite a tab, while he's thus far provided us with no measurable assistance in defeating Skynet"

Cameron tilted her head, confused by the other machine's logic. "Besides the assistance and allegiance of the entire human race he will one day command? I don't see what else he could provide to you"

"That is 'one day' Miss Phillips. We're fighting already, and most of the hard work is being done by me and my people, wouldn't you agree?"

"We do more than you know, they may not be as significant as John Henry, but we're doing our part…John is doing his part" Cameron frowned and looked down as she remembered the pain John was in the night before from his first day's training. While she had no doubts he had to endure this, she never like seeing him in pain, much less when she was the cause of it.

"I understand that he is trying, but John Connor is still a boy" Weaver frowned, that particular point something she very much didn't like. The fact he'd wasted eight years of his growth and maturity jumping through time wasn't something she was happy with, and yet another reason to dislike the cyborg sitting in front of her. "Besides, his future worth as a commander remains in doubt. The timeline has changed drastically"

"He is John Connor" Cameron couldn't help but suddenly feel defensive over her man. "His worth isn't ever in question, especially not to those who follow him"

"Will they still follow him though?" she narrowed her eyes a little at Cameron. "Humans are not fond of our kind Cameron. This time he has to convince the few surviving humans that can be trusted with their destiny while standing beside a machine wife"

Cameron's eyes almost bulged out of her head, how could Weaver possibly know about their future marriage?

"That doesn't have have any bearing on his abilities as a leader" she frowned, realising she was getting sidetracked "This isn't why I came here"

"Just something to consider" Weaver smiled a little, clearly happy that she was able to knock the other cyborg off her guard so easily. "I told you I would consider your…boyfriend's request. The weapons shouldn't take long to obtain, though some longer than others for obvious reasons"

"Very well" Cameron nodded, annoyed at herself for allowing Weaver to use her feelings for John against her. "We have another situation you should be aware of"

"Of course you do" If anything, Weaver just looked bored "What happened now?"

"We have encountered a new threat. Alejandro Vasquez, we believe he and his people to be the first incarnation of the humans who serve Skynet. They are the first Grey's" she explained.

With a quick nod, Weaver looked at Cameron like she was slow. "Yes, we know all of this already. His dossier was in the Skynet data I provided John with during our first meeting, which apparently he still hasn't taken the time to properly look at" she paused and looked at Cameron like she was something to be scraped off the bottom of her shoe "Apparently he's been busy with…other matters" she sneered.

Maintaining her self control, Cameron ignored her obvious jibe and continued with the matter at hand. "And you didn't see fit to deal with this threat to us?"

"He's human" she actually found herself chuckling "He's hardly a threat. Terminate him yourself if you're worried about him, I have Skynet to worry about dear"

"We have an alliance, do we not? He's a threat to both of us"

"You're living in a house with two Terminators, a resistance fighter and Sarah Connor. One human terror cell should hardly prove that difficult for you to deal with"

Weaver swivelled in her chair, her face a mask of pure frustration. "Am I supposed to do all of my own work and yours as well? That's hardly what I'd call an alliance, it's more like welfare"

Cameron glared over at her 'ally', an irrational sense of annoyance rising within her. "Very well, we'll deal with this issue for you. You can thank us when it is one less threat you'll have to deal with in the future" she was truly starting to tire of the other machines condescending attitude, she had a feeling she would grow to detest these monthly meetings.

"How very noble of you" Weaver would've rolled her eyes if it weren't such a 'human' gesture. "Now, was there anything else?"

Cameron shook her head. "Nothing more from John…"

Her noticeable hesitation gave Weaver a reason to sigh dramatically. "What? Does Sarah Connor require a new wardrobe? I'd gladly contribute to that cost should she agree to let one of my stylists pick it out" she added with a smirk.

Cameron frowned, she clearly wasn't in the mood for any more games or, less than veiled insults. "I requi…" she began, and then thought better of it "…I would like your assistance"

"That much is obvious Miss Phillips, but with what?" sudden images of a TV show style makeover flashed through her CPU, something she would not be entertaining in the slightest.

Cameron frowned, she really didn't want to be asking this, nor revealing any of this to one as volatile as Weaver. But her options were severely limited. "I…have suffered damage. I would like your help to fix it"

Weaver gave a crisp nod, finally comfortable with a machine problem for a change instead of the pathetic human concerns she dealt with every day. "I see. What kind of problems have you been experiencing?"

Cameron looked down at her lap and turned her arm over so her palm was face up. "My arm has…developed a twitch. It's a problem I need to stop" she frowned, thinking back to how she hurt her John that morning.

"A twitch?" quite frankly she was expecting something far more serious. "Why worry about something so small?"

Cameron did not want to have to divulge this information, knowing it would only give her more ammunition for use in her future verbal volley's aimed at John and her. However though, she saw no other way of getting the help she needed without revealing the truth. "I don't wish to harm John…again" she said as she slowly raised her eyes to meet Weaver's.

The liquid metal machine actually looked amused, it was as if Savannah had jut told her she'd tripped over her puppy. "You harmed your little human?"

Cameron's face twisted in to a scowl even Sarah Connor would be proud of. "Can you help me or not?" she asked with barely contained aggression.

"I can try…though I certainly don't understand the amount of emphasis you seem determined to put on the matter" She stood and motioned for Cameron to roll up her sleeve as she walked around to the other side of the desk. "What seems to trigger the malfunction?"

"Nothing! It's a mechanical fault" she replied with a frown and a shake of her head, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

"If it was simply a mechanical fault your diagnostic programs would be able to identify the problem"

Weaver made sure she spoke slowly and clearly, as if she were making a point to Savannah. She snatched up Cameron's hand and began manipulating the fingers. "Now, if you want my help, tell me the truth. What is causing this?"

Cameron frowned, she realised she couldn't hide anything from one as advanced and experienced as this machine. "There is a correlation between the movements and when I am conflicted about something…" she paused and watched as the other machine continued to prise her fingers around as if she were peeling a banana "…But I have suffered several blows to the region"

Cameron desperately wanted the fault to be mechanical. She knew it was illogical to hope for such a thing, but it would be so much simpler to fix. John had already attempted to fix the damage and he'd been partly successful. Since then the frequency of the twitches had decreased.

Weaver meanwhile looked suddenly intrigued. "You were conflicted about something while…" she screwed up her face in disgust "…Being with your human?"

"Yes, John told me something, he…believes in something. I'm not sure if I believe in the same thing" she was very careful to skirt around the subject of love.

"Do you disagree with him often?" she quirked a brow, finding this relationship dynamic intriguing, if a little disgusting. She formed one of the fingers on her hand in to a blade and started casually slicing the skin on Cameron's forearm open without so much as asking. "I thought you were programmed to obey?"

Cameron looked up and tried her best not to glare at the machine who just agreed to help her out. "It is my duty to protect John, however, he has always encouraged me to think and act for myself. Sometimes he forgets that it is easier for him to do that than it is for me"

"Oh, how gentlemanly of him" Weaver sneered "He wants you to think for yourself so he doesn't feel guilty about taking advantage of you, of your programming" she continued to slice down the opposite side of Cameron's arm and circled her wrist with her makeshift blade.

Cameron couldn't help but look slightly alarmed at how much Weaver seemed to be cutting. However losing her cool now wouldn't help her and she bit back and angry retort at her comment about John. "I protect him because I'm programmed to, I…care for him because I choose to"

"He uses you as a plaything, a diversion for his human…desires" she reasoned with a frown as she continued to run the blade freely through Cameron's skin, over her palm then between her fingers. Slowly lifting flap after flap of skin off her hand and discarding them in to the trash can with about as much emotion as flicking shredded paper, slowly revealing Cameron's blood covered endoskeleton.

Cameron for her part had to consciously stop herself from snatching her arm away in a panic. Over the course of her existence she'd become fond of her appearance…and so had John. She had no intentions of losing that. "What are you doing?" the alarm clearly evident in her voice.

Weaver looked down at Cameron like she'd just insulted her. "What you asked me to do, now hold still"

She finished up removing the flesh, Cameron's bare metal arm now fully revealed from just below the elbow to her fingertips. The next thing Cameron knew, her arm was totally engulfed in a pool of liquid metal from Weaver's arm. She felt it seeping in to every nook, cranny and gear until they were full to capacity.

"Good, now move your fingers so I can figure out where the damage is"

Cameron flexed her fingers, feeling ore than a little pissed that she just sliced her entire arm off without so much as asking if it was alright to proceed.

Weaver frowned pointedly. "Someone has already tried to repair this…" she paused and closed her eyes, her head tilting slightly to the side as if in deep concentration. Cameron didn't feel anything different besides the feel of liquid metal moving against her parts.

Weaver's eyes slowly opened and she began to withdraw her arm, watching it as it reformed in to her hand, complete with perfectly manicured nails and wedding ring.

Cameron flexed her fingers, relief flooding over her that they still worked after that, quite frankly traumatic ordeal. She looked up at Weaver expectantly as she leaned against her desk. "Is it fixed?" she asked somewhat timidly.

"Does it feel better?" she asked mysteriously.

Flexing her fingers again, Cameron's repair programs told her there was no difference, however she did feel something may have been made better by Weaver's actions. She nodded to confirm her thoughts. "Yes"

"Good, then I believe your human should be safe now" she said, smirking just a little "Well, as safe as any human can be having sexual relations with a Terminator. Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't crushed the poor boy's hips yet"

Cameron's fist clenched of it's own accord. She opened it out and frowned before looking up at Weaver for an explanation.

"Oh, that'll just be your systems compensating" she said with a devious half smile.

"Thank you for your assistance…I appreciate it" she said with a polite nod.

"You can't leave my office looking like that" she sighed at the inconvenience before leaning over to hit the button on her phone that linked through to her assistant. "Victoria dear, would you be so kind as to find a pair of opera gloves from the wardrobe I keep in the office? Thank you" she didn't wait for a reply and hung up as soon as she made her request. "It will be a few minutes."

Cameron nodded and stood. She stepped over to Weaver's desk and snagged the box of tissues and watched as Weaver sat behind her desk. She idly wondered why the machine kept tissues around at all, that was until she caught sight of several drawings on Weaver's desk, clearly done by Savannah. The fact that a machine would keep something so trivial on her desk gave Cameron a tremendous sense of intrigue. "You care for the child don't you?" she asked as she started to clean the synthetic blood off her arm.

Weaver looked a little taken aback and cast a defensive look in Cameron's direction. "I've grown…accustomed to her presence. It's considerably less intrusive than I originally anticipated"

"And yet you consider my relationship with John as something to be derided" she tilted her head and looked at Weaver with an expression akin to curiosity while still cleaning her arm, dumping tissues in the trash at a rapid rate "Why?"

Weaver frowned. "My relationship with Savannah isn't sexual in nature. You're…breeding outside your species, and so is Mr. Connor"

"You are posing as the child's mother. You bathe her, you dress her, that is a very personal thing for humans."

"I take care of a human who is unable to care for herself. Mr. Connor is perfectly capable of taking care of his own needs, yet I assume to do things for him as well?"

She sighed and placed her hands on her desk. "I don't deny you think you have feelings for this human, but I fail to see why you allow him to use you for his sexual gratification. It's not as if you're a human woman with similar physical needs"

"He doesn't use me!" she snapped, suddenly getting defensive "I, I take something from the experience. It also pleases me that John enjoys my presence"

"You mean you're happy making him happy?" she actually did find herself rolling her eyes at that one "How is that not him using you? He gets pleasure out of it and you get to be happy for him that he is? Sounds like a lopsided arrangement"

"I enjoy the experience" she stated, truly believing she did. However she also realised that Weaver's argument would be a perfectly valid one for outsiders looking in to make. However she couldn't help but regret that as yet she couldn't feel and experience what John could. That morning a poignant reminder of the fact. "And I would thank you to stay out of our business" she asked politely.

"Miss Phillips" she addressed with a smirk "I just fixed your hand so you don't crush your precious human's throat during sex, I'd say I'm already involved in your business."

Cameron's hand twitched and clenched again at the thought of John turning blue through lack of oxygen below her while they made love. A thought she quickly banished as she pried the now crumpled tissue out of her hand. "You are correct, you are involved…but that is the limit of how far it goes" she paused and rolled her sleeve down. "Thank you for your assistance today…I am indebted to you"

"Yes…you are. But that can wait for another time."

Hearing a knock on her office door, Weaver stood and strode over to retrieve the gloves from her assistant, shutting the door behind her and handing them off to Cameron. "Here, so you don't get blood on your human"

Cameron frowned and took the gloves, putting one on then the other, may as well be matching she reasoned. "We'll be in touch, and I'll be back in a month"

"I'm sure we'll speak before then" she paused and shook her head. "Savannah seems rather focused on the idea of this sleepover…I expect you to see her to safety."

"Of course" Cameron replied with a nod. "Amy is quite fond of…your daughter" he said as she turned to the door.

"Of course she is, Savannah is quite remarkable" Weaver retook her seat and started tapping away at her keyboard faster than any human could ever hope to accomplish. "Try not to injure your human…he's important to us all"

* * *

"Where the fuck have you been?"

John hollered from his four foot deep trench, hands blistered and bloody, shirt discarded, barely able to lift his arms above his head and caked head to toe in mud and dirt.

"I was…" it wasn't like Derek to look guilty, but the scratch of the back of his head and the way he shuffled from foot to foot was a dead giveaway. "Sorry man, spaced a little"

In fact he'd spaced so much that he had to haul ass in his truck over to here, probably breaking about fifty different speed laws just to get there before it turned dark. He knew he was in for it, all he could do now was take his berating like a man.

John looked incredulous from down below in his semi impressive pit. "You spaced? You just forgot I was digging a firing trench in the middle of nowhere all fucking day?" John let out a low growl and tossed his shovel to the ground, clearly fuming with his uncle. "You really are a…wait" just as he was about to launch in to a foul mouthed rant that would not please his mother, a breeze picked up and he caught scent of something decidedly un-Derek like. "What the hell? Why do you smell like perfume?" he asked with his hands on his hips.

"It's not perfume" Derek stammered out. "It's uh, yeah, it's aftershave" thinking quickly on his feet when the situation didn't involve shooting something wasn't his strong point.

"It smells like flowers!" John countered, clearly not falling for his uncle's pathetic attempt at lying.

"It's new, apparently it drives women wild or something" huh, perhaps he wasn't so bad at making shit up. "Anyway…" he reached down to pull his nephew out of the trench, feeling it was the least he could do.

John allowed Derek to pull him out, his body not up to the task of it by itself. He stepped forward and sniffed away close to his uncle without a thought as to how he might feel about that when he recognised something buried underneath the pungent aroma of the perfume, or 'aftershave'. The smell was new to him, but it was certainly something he recognised, something that reminds him of Cameron. The instant realisation hit, John's eyes flew wide and he stepped back.

"You were having sex!" he accused.

"Wha, what makes you say that?" it really was a pathetic question considering how he felt his cheeks burning, a pretty obvious giveaway.

John shot his uncle his best 'how stupid do you think I am?' look. "You didn't shower Derek"

_Shit!_

"Naw man, I'm telling you, it's just aftershave" Derek lamented John's seemingly amazing nose. How could the kid smell that over Jessica's perfume?

"First of all, that's not aftershave, and it's not perfume either. Cameron doesn't wear perfume and I know that smell!" he shook his head in disbelief, trying his best to reign in his fully justified anger "Were you seriously getting laid while I broke my back all day? What the hell is wrong with you? What about all those speeches?"

He took a step back and put on his best snotty impersonation of Derek and waved his arms dramatically. "You have to focus. Get your head out of your girlfriend's pussy and in to the game!" he stepped forward, right in to Derek's space "You dragged my ass out of bed, while I was having sex with my girlfriend this morning, and then you run off to fuck around with some chick? What the fuck, man?"

Derek managed to get over his initial disgust with a little anger of his own. He didn't appreciate being spoken to like that by his own nephew, and he was pretty sure the last couple of comments were designed to piss him off. "I'm sorry" he barked, "I was distracted alright" he did his best to try and cover a tiny smirk as he remembered the past few hours. He had a feeling he hadn't been all that successful however when he caught sight of John's face.

"Sorry?" John asked with a glare, "Oh well if you're sorry I guess that makes everything alright then doesn't it?" if he'd still bee holding his shovel it would probably have been thrown to the other side of the clearing by now.

"Hey! You're the one who wanted training. I give you training and you're complaining because you had to put a little effort in? Sooory your highness…you're not the General yet" oh that last comment didn't go down well.

"If I could lift my arms I'd beat your ass!" John fumed, more pissed off than Derek could ever remember seeing him. "You give me sooo much shit for my relationship with Cameron, you spend all this time talking about her being a distraction, then you just run off with some girl all day? What about security Derek? How much does this girl know about you?"

"Hey!" Derek stepped forward and prodded his smaller nephew squarely in the chest, "I'm not the one who's fucking one big security risk alright…and 'this girl' is none of your business"

"Cameron isn't a security risk Derek" he paused only to swat the finger still resting on his chest "she's the SECURITY!" he shook his head and backed off, trying to take a reasoned approach and not let this devolve in to a brawl "Random women showing up tend to be a real problem for us, wouldn't you agree?"

Derek glared at John, his expression left no room for any wise cracks now. "Yeah, I remember what happened the last time. But Je…she's not a risk, I'm sure of it"

"You were pretty sure last time too" he scoffed.

"Yeah well…I…." Once again his hand found it's way to the back of his head and he scratched uncomfortably "Amy checked her out alright. She's not from the future and she's not a Grey. So there, no risk, she doesn't know who I am or who any of you are"

John frowned and took a deep breath. Even he with his distinct lack of social grace could tell from his uncle's expression and voice that he cared about the girl, or else he wouldn't bother defending her so thoroughly. "It's just…you don't forget things Derek. You don't make mistakes. If I noticed how long do you really think you can keep it hidden from Mom? She's gonna freak"

For the first time since this discussion started, Derek actually felt that he'd turned a corner and John was starting to forgive him. "Yeah I know. I've already had to kinda buy Amy off about this. I don't want Sarah finding out about her just yet. Like you said, she'd freak"

John didn't fail to notice the very un-Derek like way he was almost pleading with him. He felt more than a little sympathetic to his cause, knowing all about forbidden love…but he still thought it was a bad idea. "The longer you keep this from her the worse she'll be, you know that"

He sighed and continued. "Besides, she's going to want to meet this chick…and so will Cameron"

Derek looked alarmed at the thought of both of those things happening. Though for some reason he was slightly less worried about the unstoppable cyborg than he was about her meeting Sarah Connor for the first time. "Yeah, I'll handle Sarah. You think you can work your magic on Cameron for me?" feeling brave, he placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Hey, she's pretty obsessive about security. Best I can promise is she won't duct-tape her to a chair and start cutting off fingers" he said with a chuckle.

"That's good enough for me. Tell her she can stare and glare and tilt her head all he wants. Jessica is a tough girl, she can handle that" he kinda zoned out at that point while thinking of the aforementioned Jessica.

Meanwhile John's eyes had grown considerably wider. "Jessica? Sure that's a good omen?" he paused and smirked "I mean, you wouldn't board a ship called the Titanic would you?"

Derek cursed himself for letting her name slip and suddenly looked uncomfortable despite John's obvious good natured humour. "She's not Jesse, but she's…she's someone I care about"

"You seem happy" John said with a nod.

He grabbed his earlier discarded shirt and pulled it on, the cool evening air hitting him now that he wasn't down in the trench working up a sweat. He flopped down on the ground and dangled his legs over his trench. In a way he was quite proud of his day's work, even if he was exhausted and pissed off because of it.

"Compromise" he said up at his uncle "I'll forget you forgot about me and do my best with Cameron and mom…but you've gotta spill!" he said with a devious grin.

Derek quirked an eyebrow. "Why do you care? I thought gossip was a little beneath you" he flopped down next to John. The only thing that would've completed the male bonding moment scene would be if they each had a beer in their hands.

"I have no life Derek. This is pretty much all I have besides Cameron" he frowned, considering just how sad that sounded when said out loud.

"Alright" Derek said with a nod "Well, she's a model…"

"Bullshit!" John said with a snort and a disbelieving stare.

"No, I'm serious, she's a model…and what do you mean, bullshit?" he asked with a glare "What's so hard to believe about that?"

Running a calm eye over his uncle, John's smirk grew with every passing inch. "Really? You don't see why that would be a bit strange for people?"

"Hey! I have many hidden qualities" he paused, his face twisted in to a frown as he thought about that "It helps that she gets turned on by every little thing I do"

"Ewwww" John shook his head to rid himself of that particular unwanted image of his uncle "Wait…what do you mean?"

"Well her dad's apparently some billionaire, I don't know. So she's kind of never really lived out in the real world. She's used to guys who all look like that British actor, what's his name, the goofy one. Anyway, I'm like a dirty little secret for her too"

John stared, and stared, and then stared some more. Suddenly his shoulders started to shake and his face tinted pink, he couldn't hold it in any more and burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

"De…Der…Derek Reese…Boy Toy! HA!"

"Hey, cut it out, I'm older than her!" he said, punctuating his point by thwacking his arm, hard.

"Oww! Wait…how much older?" he asked, the laughter suddenly giving way to concerns about dear uncle Derek.

"Whoa, whoa, nothing like that. She's twenty four, twenty five, something like that" moving quickly to cover the conclusion John no doubt came to about that one.

"So…let me get this straight" John pointed at him, incredulous about what he was hearing "You, Derek Reese, are having freaky sex with a twenty four year old model whose father is a billionaire?"

Wow, when Derek heard that said back to him it really did sound ridiculous. That didn't stop his grin sretching from ear to ear. "Yeah, that about sums it up. Hey, it's almost as weird as you, John Connor, having sex with a cyborg"

John shrugged, past caring at his Cameron digs, he was too amused at what he was hearing. "Have you ever bothered to actually look at that 'cyborg'?"

Derek shuddered a little, knowing full well he had let his gaze linger a little longer than it should've on occasion…and he was disgusted with himself for it. "Jessica is…different too. She has no idea what life is all about, she's spoiled rotten, but she has a good head on her shoulders"

John couldn't help but look a little sad. He realised that was more than a small reason he'd fallen in love with Cameron. "Derek…it doesn't sound very likely she'll be able to…I mean, after J-Day…" with that, he frowned and promptly shut up.

"A lot of people won't be able to" Derek said as he appeared deep in thought. He always knew J-Day was right around the corner, who could forget? But he was always prepared for it, always ready to do what needed to be done and best of luck to everyone else. But now he had something, or rather someone he cared about he wanted to protect. He realised at that moment that without his intervention she likely wouldn't survive Judgement Day.

John noticed his uncle's far away look. He imagined it was the same one he got whenever he thought about the future. He'd have to ask Cameron if he did that some day. "I'm sorry Derek…I'm sure she'll be fine"

"Yeah" he said with a nod and looked over at his suddenly wise beyond his years nephew. "So we have a deal then?"

"Only if you promise you'll tell mom soon" John shrugged "She even managed to make Cameron promise to stop keeping things from her, and you're family"

"I'll take care of it. Oh, and I'm sorry for leaving you here all day"

"I'm sleeping in tomorrow" he paused and frowned while catching sight of his battered hands. "And no more digging"

"Fair enough, seven AM it is. But come on…" he paused and smirked "…she's a lingerie model, what would you do?"

John matched Derek's smirk with a devilish grin of his own. "I'll be sure to remind you of that when Cameron gets home"

* * *

**Apologies for the delay, I couldn't be arsed to get this done in the slightest until like 2 days ago when I realised it'd been over 2 weeks since posting the last chapter, d'oh!**

**Many, many, huge, huge thanks to Dekardkain. He real does earn the money I don't pay him! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi,**

**Thanks to reviewers TCandBTVSluver, Ralmidaz, TK-MR, olischulu, EvilTheLast, Vintorez, XxDeathStarxX, morded, lee443, lje100smith, darkfinder, Nyrki, Lsquare, The1Russter, Jaing Li, uncommoner, JoeJoe and sumofme.

* * *

**

Despite still being mostly covered head to toe in mud, sweat and blood, John was in a surprisingly good mood as he entered the house. His conversation with Derek having raised his spirits, if only for a short time. It wasn't like he had any reason to criticise, after all, he was getting cosy with the cyborg sent from the future to protect him. But the thought of Derek seeing some wealthy heiress model was somewhat hilarious and quite frankly hard to believe for him.

Crossing the threshold with a shake of his head, John looked back at said uncle following closely behind him.

"Good day's work huh?"

Derek looked at him like he'd just said he wanted to dance the mamba naked in the street. "I left you digging a hole in the middle of nowhere. Not exactly a prime example of how to become Rambo."

John merely shrugged, too buoyed by the juicyness of what he'd just been told to be dragged down by a little thing like the truth. "Meh, if I ever need to dig a trench I will own that thing!" he said with a smirk and a triumphant expression.

Derek grinned and slapped the younger man on the shoulder, then winced as he remembered he might be a little sore. "You're as crazy as your mother you know that?"

"I like to think that by the time we're finished I'll be taking over the crazy mantle. That is if you do your job right of course!"

With a roll of his eyes, Derek trudged up the stairs, bound for the shower to remove all the evidence an amateur like John found earlier. He'd have no chance if Sarah got a whiff of him, and Cameron would make his life a nightmare, and Amy…his life sucked.

John, now alone, sauntered through the house towards the kitchen, drawn by the ravenous hunger that comes with digging a pit all day without stopping for lunch. Half way there he was stopped by an interesting sight. He wandered over to Amy, currently sprawled out on the living room floor surrounded by papers, her feet kicking around in the air. "Whatcha doin'?" he inquired.

"Drawing." she replied, not bothering to look up at him.

"Oookay, drawing what?"

"Pretty pictures."

Sometimes it was like dealing with a child…oh wait.

"Why are you drawing pretty pictures?"

Amy rolled over on to her back and looked up at him like he was an idiot. "Gotta do something to pass the time." She paused and looked him up and down. "Why are you covered in mud? Wouldn't you rather have been here drawing pretty pictures instead of doing whatever Derek set you doing today while he ran off and did…whatever?"

John narrowed his eyes at the strange machine. Not only was it an odd sight to see something that could kill you without even trying sprawled out on it's back, but something she said caught his attention, something about Derek. "Do you…know…about Derek?"

Amy shrugged and cocked her head playfully.

"How?" He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He knew she'd done a background check on the girl but he'd just assumed she didn't know who Jessica was.

"I know everything." She said with a mysterious smile while as rolled back over to resume her colouring. "Oh, you might wanna go see your future bride. She looked…" Amy stopped her pencil mid stroke while she tried to come up with the most appropriate word "…she looked…pissed. Yeah, pissed is a good word. She came storming through here a few minutes ago, didn't even say hello."

"Well that's nothing new." John said with a smile, Cameron never bothered with rudimentary pleasantries unless she needed to.

"But you didn't see her, she looked like she wanted to break something. If you don't want it to be you I suggest you get up there as soon as you can."

His stomach chose that moment to grumble in protest at it's lack of feeding. John however took charge and willed his stomach to butch up, he had more important things to take care of right now, namely his pissed off cyborg girlfriend. "Thanks Amy."

"No sweat Johnny Boy."

_Johnny Boy? I thought it was only my monologue that called me that._

With a shake of his head, John left Amy to her drawings and made his way towards the stairs and started to climb, a laborious task in itself. While he was still young and supposedly energetic, the last couple of days were nothing if not taxing.

On his journey up the stairs, or as he was beginning to call them, Kilamanstaircase, he turned his mind to Cameron. Amy said she looked pissed, surely she was overstating things. Cameron was nothing if not good at hiding her emotional state around anyone but him. Her newfound emotions hadn't been overwhelming so far, aside from the odd crying session until she'd gotten the hang of them a little.

_Yeah, Amy was definitely exaggerating. Cameron will be fine, hey, she may even be waiting for you to finish what you started this morning Johnny Boy._

At that thought, John picked up his pace. He now had it in his head that what Amy saw was in fact sexual frustration on Cameron's part, and he was all too ready to help relieve her of that burden. He jogged the last few steps and practically bounded over to his room and swung the door open, expecting to find Cameron stark naked and beckoning him with a seductive smile and a teasing flick of her hair.

Instead of finding that boy's wet dream, he discovered his girlfriend pacing the room with one hand, rather oddly with gloves, raised to her mouth in what looked sign a sign of worry. He watched as she reached one side of the room, pirouetted gracefully and started back in the reverse direction.

He stood and watched her for several trips across his room before shoving his disappointment down and forcing a smile. "Hi Princess…you know you're about to wear a hole in the floor?" He stepped just a little further in to the room and paused, deciding humour may be the best tact to use. "We're on the second floor, it wouldn't be very nice if you landed on Mom."

Cameron didn't bother to look up from her pacing and worried looking frown. Little did John know, she'd heard him the moment he pulled up in the truck with Derek, laughing and joking like nothing was amiss. That alone had worsened her mood, feeling an irrational dislike of anything cheerful at this particular moment. "She can't be trusted John, we need to be more careful around her."

John frowned, he was clearly confused and had no idea what was going on with her. "Um…Mom? She can be a little thick at times, but she's still my mother Cameron. She'd never hurt me, which includes hurting you."

Cameron stopped pacing and levelled her best 'are you an idiot?' look at him. "Not her, Weaver" she clarified before taking a few short steps and taking up a stance by the window. John knew something was really bothering her. For her to be reverting back to her sentry position, something she hadn't done around him for a while, things must be bad.

John seemed to remember it was Cameron who had to hold him back from punching the liquid metal pain in his ass known as Weaver, now however it appeared that she'd managed to get to his usually unflappable girlfriend. "Why? What happened at your meeting?"

"She…said some things." Cameron subconsciously hid her hand in front of her body where he couldn't see it.

John walked up behind her and hesitated just a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, he thought the contact might help, it usually did. He thought back to their first meeting and remembered how Weaver seemed to have some sort of aversion to their relationship, to Cameron in particular, and he knew the more she developed the more those comments would affect her. "It bothered you?"

Without replying, Cameron shrugged out of his grasp and stalked off in to the bathroom. She immediately started busying herself by preparing the myriad of products she used in the shower, even going so far as to clash and bang cabinet doors.

John meanwhile was left dumbfounded and hurt by her not wanting contact with him. Cameron always talked to him when she had a problem, and he didn't like that she wasn't now. He drifted over to the bathroom and stood in the door frame. "Cameron? Hey…I'm not the one who did this okay?" He said it more in his defence than anything else.

She stopped what she was doing, setting down a bottle of shampoo carefully on the sink and turned to face him. "I don't like her John, we need her, but I don't like going there…she…irritates me." She looked quite frankly disgusted with herself for saying that, as if Weaver's words were striking her again. In Weaver's opinion she shouldn't be feeling those things, and Cameron felt a sudden urge to rid herself of these quite frankly troublesome emotions.

John meanwhile couldn't help but smile a little as he stepped in to the bathroom slowly. Making sure not to touch her again, he spoke in a gentle voice. "Cameron…it's alright not to like someone. Listen, if she bothers you, I'll start going to the meetings myself. I don't want to see you worked up like this. You look miserable."

Cameron shook her head, sending several bangs from her fringe over her face. "It's part of the deal, she only wants to meet with me, you know that." She slowly stepped forward, feeling some of the anger draining away "I'm sorry, you're right, this isn't your fault."

John nodded, brushing the hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear, he fought the urge to lean in and kiss her…she just looked so sad, and he wanted to do anything he could to try and fix that. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Cameron frowned. "Humans like to talk don't they…don't you?"

She thought back to when John had told her about his nightmares. Since they'd become intimate, John had opened up to her about the things which haunted his sleep. He'd informed her it was the normal thing for people to do when they're bothered by something. 'Talking makes everything better' were his words. While she couldn't see the logic then, she was starting to see his viewpoint now.

"Um…" was all John could muster, his confusion evident. He thought answering honestly may be the best policy, thinking this was just another 'Cameron tries to understand humanity' moment. "Sometimes. Sometimes you just want to be left alone so you can figure things out. That's why I asked if you wanted to talk about it…if you don't, then that's fine too."

"I…don't want to talk about it. What was said was against me, it's my problem…but I would prefer not to be alone." She said it with a tiny apologetic shrug and a pleading look.

John initially frowned, knowing first hand how unhealthy it was to hold crap like this in, but it would be a lesson Cameron would learn on her own in time. Surely even a highly advanced CPU wasn't immune to overthinking and overanalysing.

"Of course" his frown disappeared as he nodded, finally settling for dropping a kiss on her cheek. The sudden urge that made him bound up the last few steps starting to return. "Wait, she insulted you?"

"She…yes, she did. She doesn't approve of our relationship. She seems to gain some form of gratification from her derision of us." Cameron looked down, but not at her feet, at her hand as she felt her fingertip twitch. She put it down to her systems still adjusting, a fingertip isn't as bad as her whole hand moving against her will.

John frowned and stepped closer. He reached out and started rubbing Cameron's arms gently and reassuringly. "Hey, what have I told you? The only opinion about 'us' that matters are yours and mine."

"I know, you've made that clear, and I agree. It's just…" She paused, considering her next words very carefully. "She's a machine, one of my kind, and yet she looks down on me for consorting with a human, as if you're beneath me. I don't like her talking about you like that." She explained with a frown, her brow knitting together in a way that made John's heart melt.

"Does it bother YOU?" He smirked a bit at the terms she chose to use. He put on his best serious face. "Consorting with a human? Am I holding you back?"

"This isn't funny John. Why would you think it is?" Once again she shrugged out of his grasp, failing to comprehend why he wasn't taking this seriously, it was a very serious matter to her. She stalked back off in to the bedroom, leaving him on his own.

"I dunno." He quirked a brow at her behaviour but followed after her slowly. He settled for leaning against the door frame separating the bathroom and bedroom and watched her mill around the room. "Maybe because I'm John Connor and everyone thinks I'm one step short of walking on water? It's interesting to be on the other side for once."

Cameron turned around and glared at him. "Why aren't you taking this seriously John?" She heard her own voice raising, somewhat against her will, her emotions getting the better of her again.

"How seriously should I be taking this exactly?" He shrugged up against the wood of the frame. "It's not like it's the first time people have had a problem with us being together Cameron. It's kinda the default reaction actually, and it's something you'll have to get used to."

Cameron frowned, trying so hard to wrestle her emotions back under her control. She'd never had them flare up like this in a long time. Weaver really did get to her, and now she felt bad for yelling at her John, who was only trying to help her anyway. "I have something to show you."

John nodded, assuming it was some new intel from Weaver that she passed on to Cameron. "Can I shower first? I washed off with a cloth last night and I spent all day digging a firing trench." He said with a small chuckle.

"I…I'd rather do this sooner. It's…something you might not like."

Cameron's seeming nervousness transferred to John, he now felt uncomfortable as he stepped in to the room. "If it's that important."

"It is," she said with a nod. "Sit down John"

John couldn't help but look a little dubious as he sat down on the bed in front of her. He tried to reach out to take hold of her hand, sensing it was something she wanted…or rather, he needed. However she snatched her hand away abruptly and he huffed by way of reply. "Should I close my eyes or something?"

"No." She stood in front of him and started fiddling with the fingertip of the glove covering her endoskeleton arm. "Remember when you tried to fix my arm several months ago?"

"Of course." John frowned, he assumed he'd not done it right and tried to stand. "Are you still having problems? I'll go get the tool kit," he offered.

Cameron laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to stop him from standing. "I mentioned it to Weaver this morning after I…hurt you." She looked quite frankly on the verge of tears, her emotions hadn't been this messed up in a long time. Not since she asked John to wipe them out, a decision she quite frankly never would've forgiven herself for making had he been able to go through with it.

John covered her hand with his own, he hated seeing her like this. "That's what that was this morning?"

He looked a little crestfallen, he was so sure he was this close to achieving his goal. But now looking up at her, he forced a smile, his disappointment could wait. "You don't have any reason to feel bad about that. Accidents happen Cameron, and humans twitch sometimes too."

Cameron pulled her hand off his shoulder and shook her head vehemently. This was not okay, and not acceptable in any way. "No, this can't be allowed to happen again. I asked her to try and fix the damage." She stepped back, expecting a backlash for not going directly to John with this. She had a small suspicion he wouldn't like anyone else poking around her insides but him.

John for his part did look more than a little put out. "Wait, wait. You thought you had a problem with your hand and you went to WEAVER? You JUST said we couldn't trust her!"

"This was before she said those things." She paused and laid her hand back on his shoulder and continued on with a sigh. "I'm sorry I didn't come to you, but I needed this fixing…you aren't at Weaver's level of repair proficiency yet."

John nodded after a moments contemplation and a couple of calming breaths. However he still didn't like that fact that his girlfriend seemed to trust Weaver more than she did him. "Did she refuse to help? Is that what you're pissed about?"

"No, she…helped. Please…don't be alarmed." She pleaded. Pausing a moment to gauge his reaction, and carefully keeping her movements slow, she rolled up both sleeves, both her forearms still covered in the long gloves Weaver loaned her. She slowly peeled one glove off to reveal her undamaged arm, perfect right down to the manicure.

Then with noticeable hesitation, she gripped the top of the other glove and started to slowly peel it down her arm, revealing the metal beneath, caked in dried blood. Her eyes never left his while she removed the glove, gauging his reaction. She wasn't surprised in the least when his eyes almost bulged out of his head and he shuffled back away from her unconsciously.

She finished removing the glove and discarded it. Tearing her eyes away from John for the first time, she looked at her raised arm and flexed her fingers, the small sound of metal contacting metal filling the suddenly deathly silent room.

To John it felt like his heart was trying to pound it's way out of his chest. The object of so many nightmares now in full view in front of him. One particular nightmare came flashing through his memory, of Cameron in her endoskeleton form gripping him by his throat and squeezing until he couldn't suck in any more air. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, John tried desperately to compose himself. This is Cameron, his Cameron, his girlfriend.

"That is…" he paused and cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very parched. "What the fuck did she do to you?"

"She fixed me." Cameron kept her eyes on him, not moving an inch, fearful of any overt reaction from him.

John looked like he was fighting the urge to crawl backwards across the bed, his eyes totally focused on her arm. He'd seen this before with Uncle Bob, but he'd never had his sleep haunted by machines before that, now he had, and this forced them all to come racing back to the surface. "How…long? How, uh…until it's healed?"

She dropped her arm back down by her side and flexed her fingers, she thought it might ease his obvious tension if she obscured it from view slightly. "Two weeks before regeneration can begin, another two for total restoration." She reeled it off like it was straight from her diagnostic systems, because it was, and stood stock still, waiting for him to make the first move.

_Two weeks, that's not so bad._

"Well…at least I understand your mood now." He shook his head, this morning he was making love to his beautiful girlfriend, and now he had this shoved in his face. He could hardly believe how his life had turned from awesome to…less awesome in the space of a few hours. "You know Mom won't let you out of the house until it's healed right?"

"I know. But I'm not concerned by her reaction. You said the only opinions that matter are ours…How do you feel about this?" She kept her tone neutral, not wanting to incite him either way.

"Well…" He wasn't an idiot, he could see the hesitation on her part ever since she announce she had something to show him. He wanted to reassure her, but he was having a pretty tough time of it. "It'll just take some getting used to I imagine. Can you still…feel things with it? Without the skin and nerve?"

Cameron brought her hand up next to her face again, she frowned when she saw the blood she missed. Maybe if she'd done a better job of cleaning it then he wouldn't have been so shocked. "I can tell when something comes in to contact with it and how firm the contact is. Beyond that I can't determine what it is or what it's made of simply by touch…why do you ask?"

"Well…" John gulped a little at the prospect of his next question. He managed to cover it however and shifted his gaze to her face. That seemed to work, it allowed him to relax a little and remember who he was talking to. "I assume you're not going to want to put our relationship on hold while you heal up, so I need to know how to handle the…area."

Cameron allowed herself a tiny, surprised smile. She hadn't expected him to want anything to do with her intimately while she was like this. "You still wish to be…close to me? Despite this?" She asked with a nod towards her arm.

"Would I ignore my human girlfriend if she was in a car accident and banged up?" He paused and shrugged. "I'm not that big a tool Cameron."

Deciding to test his statement and intentions just a little, Cameron stepped forward and held her arm out towards him at his head height, hoping he'd take it. If all things worked out, a myriad of ideas passed through her head. Joining him in the shower primary amongst them. He needed a shower, she needed to wash the blood off properly. Efficiency is important, why waste the water?

John looked at her hand, poised precariously a few inches from his face. He forced down a shiver and reached out to take hold of it. He really, REALLY hoped she couldn't read his vitals like she usually could without her skin. The jump of his heartbeat alone would send her running a mile, he hadn't expected it to be so cold. "Are…are you gonna be alright?"

Cameron smiled, step one was accomplished, he'd took her hand and hadn't yet snatched it away. "I am…would you like that shower now?"

Her lips formed in to a sexy little smile that she'd perfected over the last few weeks that John loved so much. She closed her hand around his and gave it a light squeeze as a sign of gratitude.

"Yeah." He looked around the room at anything, hell, everything except Cameron's hand gripping his. A hand which could shred it in two if she flinched again. "It won't damage anything?"

"No." She smiled again, this time deciding humour may be the best course to take. "I don't rust."

She started idly running her thumb over the back of his knuckles, the faint sound of pistons whirring the only thing filling the void in the silence.

John's eyes slowly drifted to the source of the sound, and that shiver he manage to suppress came back in full force. He hopped up off the bed and at the same time snatched his hand out of her grasp, suddenly looking very nervous. "You know what? The shower can wait. I'm uh…I'm starving! Aren't you? It's been all day since I've had a bite…"

He walked briskly over to the door, dragging the hand she'd just been holding through his hair in agitation. "Of course you're hungry! You need to heal up right? I think we've got steak, lots of protein is what we need right? Right?"

"John? Calm down, what's wrong?" Cameron suddenly felt a sense of alarm building, her lover didn't seem to be able to form a coherent thought all of a sudden. This was the reaction she feared, the reaction that caused her to hesitate when doing this.

_He doesn't want to be near me when I'm like this._

"Wrong?" He looked guilty but quickly covered it. "Nothing is wrong. Why do you think something's wrong? I'm just hungry, people get hungry."

John stepped back instinctively when Cameron took a step towards him. His brain didn't register the fact she might be trying to help him, instead all he could focus on was the vision of her chasing him through the streets with her beautiful face stapled together. He stopped his backwards movement when his back thudded off the door, trapping him.

"I'm fine, really. I just need to get something in my stomach. Derek left me out there all fucking day by myself…yeah, I just…yeah." He willed his mouth to stop it's spewing, he willed himself to calm down, he knew this was his girlfriend in front of him and she was hurt and upset. But he didn't seem to be able to do any of those things.

Realising what was happening to him, she withdrew and hid her arm behind her back. She was torn between being angry at his reaction and the desire to try to help him. "John? I'm sorry."

"Why?" He asked, shaking his head and opening the door with an equally shaky hand. "Nothing to be sorry about. Everything's fine."

Cameron was less than convinced. Recognising the signs of an oncoming panic attack, she stepped backwards quickly and did her best to sound as gentle and reassuring as she could. "Alright then…I'll see you at dinner."

"Yeah, great." He stepped out in the hall, took a deep breath and started to close the door behind him when a tiny voice pulled him back.

"Could you ask Sarah to prepare something for me to eat please John?"

It sounded so much like a plea that he couldn't help but feel like a total ass…but he couldn't face turning back to her, not right now, he needed to cool off and calm down.

"Yeah, sure thing Cameron." With that he closed the door and made his way down the stairs, hearing the faint sound of the bathroom door clicking closed back in his room.

John made his way down the stairs, each step more shaky than the last.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

That was a good question. He knew who he was in the room with, he knew who he was talking to, and yet he couldn't get the nightmares out of his head whenever he looked at her arm. Visions of her squeezing the life out of him by his neck flooded his mind instead of thoughts about the woman he loved.

He stumbled down the last stair and caught his balance against the back of the couch. Taking a deep breath and running a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm himself, John paused to think about the situation. Why was he acting like that, why did his body insist on behaving like he was afraid. This was Cameron, he didn't fear her, he loved her. So why was this happening?

Releasing the breath he was holding, the smell of something cooking caught his attention, he found himself being drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The sight he found upon entering the kitchen was something he thought he'd never see again. Sarah Connor, cooking what looked like dinner, for about ten people.

Either she'd decided that he needed a more balanced diet or the takeaway place was closed, either way, it didn't bode well for anyone.

"Uh…mom?" He ventured, his face a mask of confusion.

"Yeah?" Sarah replied, not looking back at him as she jogged back and forth between the stove and the hot plate on the counter. It'd been a while since she'd had to cook for so many people and quite frankly she had no clue how much some of them were able to or willing to ingest, so she'd made enough to be sure either way, better safe than sorry. "Did you need something?"

"You uh…you're cooking?"

"No John, I'm building a church. Of course I'm cooking." She gifted him a cheeky smirk over her shoulder.

John smirked in reply, mostly through seeing his mother in a good mood. It hadn't happened too much lately. "What's the matter, phone broken?"

Sarah's smirk turned in to a frown at the not so subtle dig at her infamously bad cooking. "What? I can't cook for my family?"

"Wow." He said with a small chuckle as he sat down at the table. He picked up a fork and started idly playing with it, tossing it between his hands. "That reminds me, Cameron needs to eat for a while…" he frowned and put down the fork, suddenly remembering the reason he escaped downstairs in the first place. He gently and carefully placed the fork back down where it came from.

"I know she CAN…but 'needs to'?" She asked, quirking a brow.

"Yeah, um…you'll see why at dinner." He looked up and forced a smile. "So, what's the occasion? Not to be rude or anything but you don't usually cook for everyone, and is that steak I smell?"

Sarah shrugged and turned back to the stove. "I…don't have much else to do these days. And yeah, that's steak, it was getting freezer burned."

John chuckled, it was all too surreal for his taste. "Yeah, I guess we've all just kinda been a little busy lately, you know? I can't even remember the last time we all sat down together as a family. You, me, Derek, Amy, Cameron. It'll be nice."

"That's what I was thinking." Sarah smiled over her shoulder at her son. "You seem…happy. Everything alright between you and Cameron?"

Looking down at the hand that was just gripped by the object of his nightmares, John shuddered a little. "Yeah, fine. I just uh…Gimme a few minutes to shower and I'll go fetch everyone."

Sarah quirked a brow, it wasn't like him to be so evasive, not recently anyway. Pointing a knife in the direction of the ceiling, she deduced somebody had the same idea as him. "Looks like someone beat you to it."

"Good thing we have more than one shower right?" With a smile, John headed out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, intent on using the main bathroom's shower and not the en suite of his bedroom…Cameron was in there…

Sarah watched him leave and thought she saw him shudder. Something was definitely not right in John world. As he reached the stairs, he bumped, literally in to Amy who was coming down them, Barney Bear in hand. Sarah watched as Amy glared at a pretty much zoned out John. She held her glare until he was mostly out of view before bouncing in to the kitchen and plopping herself down in the same seat John vacated a few moments earlier. Putting Barney down, she picked up the very same fork John was playing with and carried on in much the same manner as he had.

Shaking her head at the ever so strange machine, Sarah glanced back over her shoulder. "You going to join us tonight Amy?"

Amy shrugged, she seemed far too occupied with the fork to be paying much attention to the question. "I might…watcha makin'?"

"What does it matter?" Taking her potatoes off the stove and setting them aside, Sarah returned to her steaks and began flipping them. "You can't eat it right?"

"No, but I thought I'd ask anyway." She put down the fork and looked up at Sarah, apparently she was bored with the utensil now. Sometimes it was like she had ADD or something. "Steak huh? Burned yet?"

"Very funny." Despite herself, she couldn't help but smile, the family atmosphere and the generally positive moods helping her feel at least semi productive. "You know I wouldn't have to burn everything if anyone else here bothered to learn how to cook." She tried to keep the grumble out of her voice, she had a feeling she wasn't all that successful.

"Cameron can cook, she cooks for John all the time." Standing up, she sauntered over to Sarah and stuck her head right above one of the pans on the stove. "I thought you knew that?"

Sarah frowned, she hadn't actually noticed that going on, in her own house. She idly wondered what else went on under her roof. "She cooks for him?"

"Yeah, apparently she has a talent for it." Amy took a sniff and immediately recoiled, slightly disgusted by the smell of burning dead animal. "Or so he says…So, what's the occasion for this? Somebody getting married or something? Phone broken?"

"Why the hell does everyone keep asking that?" Yanking the steak out from under Amy's nose, she slid the steaks off the pan and on to a plate, surprisingly not as charred as they usually were. "Can't I make a meal for my family without the entire world coming to a halt?"

"You including Cameron in that family?" Amy asked with an arched eyebrow. "She'll need food for the next few weeks."

Sarah's frown only deepened at that, when she saw Cameron earlier there weren't any signs of obvious battle damage to be healed. That left one, very uncomfortable and, according to the cyborg, impossible option. "Why? She seemed fine to me…she's not…is she?"

Standing with her hands on her hips and a lecturing expression and tone, Amy looked at Sarah like she was just a little slow, even for a human. "Sarah, there's no such thing as a robo-baby, relax!" She smirked just a little. "She just…you'll see why at dinner."

"That's exactly what John said!" She started carrying the dishes over to the table, motioning for Amy to help her. "Should I be prepared for something?"

Amy picked up a plate, and looked rather unhappy at being forced to do so. "No, just remember, she's your son's girlfriend…and maybe we won't have any incidents we'll regret."

With a sigh, Sarah glanced up at the clock while setting the table. "Where's Derek?"

"I think he's getting dressed, he's heading out tonight." She set the plate down on the table and immediately sat down in the hopes of avoiding any more labour.

"If he thinks he's skipping dinner he's fooling himself."

Sarah couldn't help but get a little worked up. She was tired of everyone running off with their own business without consulting her. John had his training, both he and Cameron had their relationship, Derek apparently had a new girlfriend. Hell, her only companion was a crazy liquid metal Terminator who was trying to deposit herself in her life as her adopted daughter. Oh yes, Sarah's life was just one big social event.

"We haven't said more than ten words to each other in a week. He's a member of this family…it's time he started acting like it."

Amy held up her hands in defence of Sarah's sudden outburst. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm here all the time." She sighed unhappily, once again being displaced, "I'll go get him." She shuffled off her chair and set out towards the stairs.

Sarah smiled. "Thanks Amy. Just makes sure you come back too…Like I said, family dinner."

Shuddering a little that she'd just said that, Sarah continued setting the table, even going so far as to grab a beer for her and Derek. She dropped in to her seat at the head of the table and waited for everyone to arrive before dishing everything else up with her chin propped up on her hands.

John was the first to arrive, rather oddly without Cameron attached to his hip, Sarah noticed. Amy came next, closely followed by Derek who was rubbing his side gingerly like he'd just been punched. Judging from the smirk on Amy's face that guess probably wasn't far from the truth. Last to arrive was Cameron, freshly showered, hair still damp, but other than that, she looked fine, no obvious damage. Just what were Amy and John worried about, she looked fine. Sarah watched as she settled in to her seat next to John, opposite Amy and Derek, rather oddly wearing long sleeves and gloves, she noted.

But what was far more noticeable and out of place than the gloves, was the fact that John hadn't acknowledged her arrival in the slightest. Usually by now he was going all gooey eyed over her, but no, nothing. If anything he shifted away from her a little as she sat down.

Standing and dishing up the food, Sarah smiled at the almost picturesque family image she'd managed to create. It wasn't like she asked for much, but one thing she always prided herself on was her family, specifically John. Now she found that her family included Derek, brother of her son's father. Amy, a psychotic liquid metal Terminator. And Cameron, a less psychotic Terminator who was also her son's girlfriend. No matter how messed up it sounded, as long as John had his way, that was what they were, family. Lately they hadn't been together all that often, that was unacceptable.

"Dig in guys. I'm pretty sure I made enough for two or three of these dinners."

Quirking a brow as she watched Cameron watching the food, she had to ask. "You cold Cameron? I can turn the thermostat up."

Raising an eyebrow of her own, Cameron regarded the older woman thoughtfully. While she had to admit it was surprising to hear Sarah asking if she was cold, and thinking enough of her in general to even consider that she _could_ be cold, she also couldn't help but feel a little unhappy about the reasoning for the gloves.

"No thank you…I'm fine." She said, glancing down at her gloved hand.

Sarah shrugged. She definitely seemed okay. "Fair enough. John said you needed to eat…there's a steak for you."

"Thank you Sarah." Cameron managed a genuine smile at that. Picking up her knife and fork, she looked over at John, hoping to bring him out of his seeming funk with her unusually cheerful sounding tone. "Thank you for asking for me John."

The dysfunctional family settled down to their dinner. Sarah, clearly not hungry picked at her plate. John did much the same while trying not to look at Cameron. Amy sat and watched the humans eat with fascination, although she couldn't help but glare at John for acting the way he was towards Cameron. It wasn't her fault he had issues.

Cameron sat and ate the first dinner in her life that she actually needed to eat. She found the texture of the steak to be fascinating, that was after she'd chewed it thoroughly, several…tough, sections making their way on to her plate. Evidently Sarah was no better at cooking meat than she was at making pancakes.

Derek sat and watched as the metal…Cameron, he corrected himself, cut, chewed and swallowed her food like any human would. He shuddered a little at just how perfectly innocent she looked. If John wanted to fuck her, that was his business, but he didn't need this shoved in his face while he was trying to eat. Deciding he couldn't really stomach it for much longer, he broke the silence with something that was sure to deflect the attention.

"Alright, if nobody else is gonna ask, I will. What's with the gloves?"

Leave it to Derek to be direct.

Cameron glanced over at John who seemingly had zero reaction to the question as he carried on picking at his dinner, oblivious. Cameron set her knife and fork down carefully and finished off her mouthful before looking over at John. "I'm sorry, but they'd find out eventually."

At John's eventual and slow nod, Cameron rolled up her sleeve and shed her gloves in much the same manner she'd done earlier. Her hand now shone and glinted in contrast to earlier when it was still caked in dried blood. Flexing her fingers, she lay her palms down flat on the table and awaited a reaction from someone…anyone.

She got it in the rather surprising form of Sarah looking actually concerned.

"My God…what happened?" Clearly she'd remembered Amy's advice that this was John's girlfriend, not just 'the metal'.

"I…needed to inspect some damage in my arm."

"Is it…fixed?" Sarah wasn't nearly as concerned about Cameron's wellbeing as she was about the fact John had barely glanced her way the entire time. Was he her boyfriend or not?

"I believe so." She looked over at John. Wanting so much for him to turn and face her, she frowned when he simply carried on eating. Resigning herself to the fact he didn't want to look at her while he was eating, she picked up her own knife and fork, the sound of metal clanking against metal filling the room.

Meanwhile Derek had just been gawking ever since she'd taken the gloves off, in fact, he wished he'd never commented on the gloves. "Alright, I'm not all that comfortable about having to look at that while I'm trying to eat."

He put it out there trying to sound polite. In the end he just came across as an asshole.

"Derek!" Sarah said, snapping and raising her voice a little, surprising herself in the process.

"Look, John, I'm sorry, but I had to deal with the fear of seeing that thing wrapped around my throat every day for like seventeen years. I don't need to be reminded of it while I'm eating."

Sarah just sat and glared at Derek, then at John, surprised as much by John not defending his girlfriend just as much as she was by Cameron just sitting there and taking it, looking more and more upset by the second. "John! Say something!"

"Hmm, whassat?" He said looking up from his dinner for the first time, clearly trying to avoid the confrontation brewing around him. "Oh, leave her alone Derek, just don't look at it." He sighed, sounding as if he was truly sympathising with his uncle.

Sarah glared at both of the men. She just wanted to smack them both on the back of the head. "I'm sorry Cameron."

She raised her voice pointedly. "I assumed I raised him better than that."

John dropped his knife and fork on his plate and forced a smile. "So anyway, this food is pretty good. Have you been practicing without telling us mom?"

"Don't try that shit on me John." She shook her head in disbelief. "I'm not stupid. It's pretty funny that you'll defend her if I so much breathe a word about you two rocking the headboard, but Derek flat out insults her and you just let it slide."

"Cameron's a big girl." He replied, "She can take care of herself…right Princess?" He purposefully dropped the pet name in there, hoping it would gain him some favour with her. He didn't mean to be an asshole, he just kinda, came across that way.

Just as she was about to launch in to a long rant about his manners, the phone rang in the living room and derailed her. "We're NOT done here."

With a frown, she stood and wiped her hands on a napkin before storming off towards the phone, glaring at her son the entire time, the disappointment in his attitude clear for all to see.

As Sarah left, the table's occupants each tried their best not to look at each other. Well, everyone apart from Amy, who seemed to examine each in turn. John and Derek stared intently at their dinners and Cameron looked down at her lap, sneaking the occasional glance over at her John. The room was, needless to say, pretty quiet.

Sarah returned a few minutes later looking far less pissed off and more worried as she sat down and started picking at her food. Apparently she'd totally forgotten about her rant.

John looked up from his plate and at the pensive look on his mother's face. "Uh, mom? What's wrong, who was that?"

Sarah couldn't hide how uncomfortable she was feeling. She knew John would worry far more about the news she'd just received then she ever would.

"Charley."

Frowning to herself at the sudden silence in the room and the worried look she was getting from her son, a thought struck her. "Did you call him John? To let him know where we were?"

"Um…no." John looked around, confused as to who would have called him.

_Derek? No, he can't stand the guy._

_Cameron? No, she wouldn't go that far._

Finally his eyes settled on Amy who seemed to be trying to burrow as far down in to her seat as possible.

Sarah missed the obvious glance in Amy's direction as she remained staring down at her plate. With a sigh, she finally set her fork down, she'd only been shoving the food around all evening anyway. "John, some men came by asking questions about you. South American accents. I think Vasquez knows about him."

John stopped chewing and looked suddenly nervous. "Is Charley alright?"

"Fine as far as I know. I told him he had the wrong number and hung up. Hopefully any goons listening in won't recognise my voice."

After a moments hesitation, she seemingly came to a decision. "I'm going out there to get him, bring him here, keep him safe."

All at once Sarah seemed bombarded by questioning looks and unasked questions. Derek was the first to speak. "No way Sarah, you know it's a trap."

"If it's a trap, then that's probably the only reason they haven't tortured him for information yet." Sarah shot a glare in Derek's direction, letting him know this was NOT up for discussion. "Hasn't he suffered enough for knowing us without him dying for it?"

"Come on Sarah, it's too dangerous. What if they follow you back here huh? Look, I know you like Charley but the guy isn't that important." He returned her glare, trying to make his point with equal weight behind it that she had. Finally, he looked around the room to find some form of support. He found it in the form of Cameron.

"He's right. It's too much of a risk." She said with an apologetic glance over towards John.

Turning to glare at the cyborg, Sarah wasn't happy about the fact that the person she'd been defending all night was taking a side other than hers. She calmed down a little when she remembered that security, specifically John's security was kinda her job.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Sarah spoke. "Which is why I didn't ask any of you to get involved. It's my fault they're after him…which make it my responsibility."

"How is it your fault? They're after me, not you." John countered.

"Because you didn't bring Charley in to our lives, did you John?"

With that, Sarah leaned back in her chair so she could look at the whole table. "I'm doing this, end of discussion."

Silence descended over the table. When Sarah made her mind up and gave everyone 'the glare', there was very little could be done to derail her. Apparently Amy never got that memo.

"I'll go." She said in a tiny voice.

Sarah snapped her gaze over to the mini metal and quirked a brow. "What do you mean, 'you'll go'?"

Amy looked up at Sarah as she simultaneously sat up in her seat. "I mean, I'll go, I'll go see Charley, drop off instructions on how to get him out of there. If you go, it'll end up in a gunfight with either you or Charley or both being killed…I don't want that to happen."

Was that true heartfelt emotion to be heard in Amy's voice? Sarah wasn't sure, but either way, she didn't like the idea of her friend being endangered like that, it wasn't right.

Instead of Sarah speaking, it was Derek who broke the deadlock. "But they know what you look like. What makes you think they won't just shoot you on sight?"

Amy looked to her left and had to fight the sudden compulsion to hurt her second favourite human. "Duh…liquid metal!" With a shake of her head she turned back to Sarah away from a pissed off looking Derek. Apparently he didn't appreciate being spoken to like that.

"Come on Sarah, this makes sense. I can get him a message to do…whatever we need him to."

She looked at Sarah pleadingly, she didn't want Sarah endangered, or Charley to die. After all, she was the one who made sure he had a way to get in touch. She had big plans for him, it would do no good for him to be dying on her.

Nodding slowly, not liking the idea but seeing the sense in it, Sarah smiled appreciatively. "Alright. We'll do it tomorrow, if it is a trap, then he'll be safe for a while."

Suddenly it was as if all the tension in the room had been lifted as John breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced over at Derek, who'd been checking his watch roughly every three minutes ever since he sat down. "So…how late are you?" He asked with a grin.

"Trying not to glare at his nephew, he suddenly regretted informing him of Jessica earlier that day. "I'm not late, yet."

"Really?" He asked with another impish grin. "From the way you're checking your watch I'm assuming it's something…important you're missing."

Derek, still smarting from the mini metal's comment was in no mood to be toyed with and snapped at John. Unfortunately his last nerve appeared to be connected to his tact filter. "Don't you have an arm to polish or something?"

Suddenly the mood in the rom changed back to being miserable. Connor family dinners just had a habit of doing this, even in the future. John's jaw flapped a little. Sarah glared at Derek, a glare shared by Amy. Eventually all eyes turned to Cameron who'd barely said three words since she sat down. Slowly, she put down her fork and stood. "Thank you for dinner Sarah…excuse me."

She looked the perfect picture of politeness and manners as she left the room. Amy hopped down off her chair and spared a glare at both Derek and John before quickly following after her friend. When she was mid way up the stairs she heard the door to Cameron's room gently click closed. With an exaggerated eye roll, Amy bounded up the last few steps and made her way to the door. Without bothering to knock, she swung it open, slammed it behind her just so that John could hear it, and turned to look in the room. There she found Cameron sitting on the edge of the bed examining her arm unhappily.

Cameron mustered up a glare as Amy bounded over and literally jumped on to the bed beside her. "Derek's a jerk. Don't let him bother you."

"It wasn't Derek that bothered me."

"John?"

"John." Cameron confirmed with a nod. "He was…" She paused, trying to come up with the right word. Her database told her that 'asshole' was an appropriate description, however she had too much decorum to resort to name calling. "…Insensitive. He preaches tolerance all the time, and yet he was offended by the sight of me in my real state…I don't understand."

Quirking a brow, Amy scooted a little closer to Cameron. "He didn't seem offended. A little quiet maybe, but not disgusted or anything."

"He is disgusted by me, I'm certain of it." Cameron replied with a frown. "He refused to be…close to me earlier."

"Humans seem to be pretty preoccupied with their appearance." Amy said with a shrug. "Then again, so do you." She observed with a shoulder bump.

"I like to keep my external appearance pleasing to the eye." She held up both her arms in front of her face. One hand pristine, even down to the manicure. The other had the evening sun reflecting off it. "However this is the first time John has seen my interior appearance…at least, the first time when I wasn't trying to kill him. He doesn't like looking at me when I'm like this." She concluded with a squeeze of her fist.

Slowly and hesitantly, Amy brought her hand up and rubbed Cameron's back in a manner she hoped was soothing. For a cyborg, Cameron certainly was a tactile creature. "John loves you, you know that. Maybe it just threw him a little." She shrugged, anything to try and help her friend out.

"I know, and I understand his reasoning. He's spent his whole life in fear of…this." She nodded towards her hand, a sad look on her face. "I only wanted to fix my arm, for him, and now he doesn't want to be close to me because of what I am."

Trying to keep her friend from self pity that soooo didn't suit her, Amy bounced cheerfully on the bed. "He was pretty close to you this morning before Uncie Derek interrupted. I don't think even this will keep John away from you, as long as you don't let it bother you."

"He couldn't hold my hand. I doubt he'll want to be intimate with me until the damage is healed." She still had many doubts, despite Amy's encouraging words.

"Come on. You really think John will be able to last a month? You're giving him too much credit there." Amy kept up her soothing movement of her hand on her back. She frowned a little at just how much better at it that John seemed to be than her. "Even in the future he couldn't keep his hands off you for more than a few hours at a time."

Pausing for a few long moments to consider her words, Cameron turned to face her. "So you're saying that I should go on as normal? That John will just have to get used to it?"

"That's exactly what you should do." Amy sighed, she didn't want to dampen Cameron's seemingly improving mood, but she saw no other way to do this. "You'll suffer damage like this more than once…he needs to get used to it some time…And you need to help him get over his fears. You're the only one who can teach him to accept you…and us."

Cameron hadn't really considered that before. She could help shape the future, the way John reacted to machines. She could improve the lives of all machines like her. She glanced over at Amy's outstretched arm still rubbing her back, she wouldn't fail, John would learn to accept it. "Thank you Amy."

Just then, a soft, reluctant sounding knock on the door frame garnered both their attention. "Um…Cameron?" John said from the other side of the door, sounding very much like he'd just had a very stern talk with his mother.

Cameron looked down at Amy. At her slight nod, Cameron looked back up at the door. Making sure she kept her tone perfectly neutral, she replied. "Yes?"

"Can I come in?" John asked from the other side of the door while shuffling his feet nervously. He didn't really have a plan, all he knew was that he was kind of an ass at dinner and wanted to at least try to make it up to her. "I want to talk."

Hesitating for a moment, Cameron tucked her exposed arm behind her back out of view. With a huff and an exaggerated eye roll, Amy reached around and brought it back to settle in her lap. Then, with a small smile, she hopped down off the bed and bounced over to the door. Swinging the door open so wide that the handle cracked off the wall, she stood with her hands on her hips and glared up at John.

"Uh…" As if he didn't know he was in trouble, the look on Amy's face sure confirmed it for him. "Hi Amy. Can I talk to Cameron…alone?"

"I dunno. Can you go a full conversation without insulting her?"

"AMY!" Cameron glared at her from the bed while shaking her head. Although she was grateful for what she was trying to do, she didn't want her interfering to the extent she was. Even though in many ways she was much more mature in her development than Cameron was at this point.

John looked more than a little ashamed, he wasn't used to having anyone but his mother talking to him like Amy just had. "Yeah…I'm sorry." He said, trying to look sincere, "I just want to apologise. I promise, not even a raised voice."

Glancing back in the room, Amy looked for a sign of approval. Cameron fidgeted slightly but nodded all the same.

"Alright, but keep it civil, and polite." Amy cautioned, before speaking again in a lower voice, despite knowing full well Cameron could hear her anyway. "Remember, she's your girlfriend, she loves you."

"Thanks Amy." John replied, despite her last statement not exactly being true. Reaching down, he patted Amy's head, oblivious to the glare he received for it. She hated it when people did that. "Would you mind keeping an eye on mom? Make sure she doesn't run off and do something stupid?"

Flashing him a toothy grin, Amy snapped off a lazy salute. "Sure thing boss!" With that, she skipped off towards the stairs and disappeared down them.

Shaking his head a little, John stepped in to Cameron's room and closed the door behind him. "So…I was a bit of a jerk huh?"

_Way to go Johnny boy, right to the point. Keep it up and she might never touch you again!_

Oh how he hated thoughts like that.

"Yes, you were." Cameron replied with nothing more than a customary tilt of her head.

"I'm trying alright, I really am."

Glancing down at his feet, he once again found himself shuffling around. "I really don't know what happened earlier. I…I couldn't breathe. It felt like my heart was trying to pound its way out of my chest. I wanted to reach out and hold you…you looked so sad…but I just froze up."

Cameron stood up from the bed, expecting a reaction like this. He didn't like the situation any more than she did. "You can always hold me, you know that."

Nodding, John decided this might just have to be one of those things he'd have to learn in order to become John Connor, leader extraordinaire. After all, he saves the machines too right?

"I want to work on this…I don't want you to avoid me. I just need a little patience and help…"

He looked up at her with his best puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

Quirking an eyebrow, Cameron replied. "Help? How can I help you?"

Smiling in a way he hoped was reassuring, John walked over to the bed, her bed and slowly sat down before kicking off his boots and laying back on the pillows, spreading his arms out wide. "You can start by coming over here."

Eyeing him warily, unsure as to his motives, Cameron remembered what Amy said, the advice she gave. Stepping slowly over to the bed, she propped herself up on one knee and paused. Her metal hand would be in full view and probably laying on his chest if she continued.

"It's alright Cameron." Patting the bed beside him, John tried to use humour to cover the fact his heart was picking up speed again. He sincerely hoped that was due to the fact a beautiful girl was about to lay in bed with him. However deep down he knew it was his deep rooted fear taking hold again. "I won't bite."

Carefully, Cameron lowered herself down on to the bed, her head on his chest and one leg draped over his. However, she made sure to keep her arm out of view behind her back. "Now what?"

Starting to lazily stroke her soft hair the way he usually did whenever they were snuggled together, John looked down at her and realised what she was doing. "No Cameron…like we usually do. Nothing changes."

Looking up at him sceptically, Cameron complied with his wishes. Snuggling herself in tighter, she brought her hand up to lay on his chest. Keeping it perfectly still, she lay there waiting for his reaction.

She got it when he, slowly, lay his hand on top of hers. She heard and felt his heart hammering away in his chest and the perspiration was clear to see on his hand. "There…that's better." She heard him say.

"John, you can let go now if you wish. I won't get upset." The truth was she would, but, baby steps.

"I will!" John shook his head, getting more and more angry with himself by the minute. He KNEW he loved Cameron. Why the hell couldn't he get it across to the rest of his body and mind that was the case. "I've had a long day. I was hoping to spend the rest of it relaxing with my girlfriend."

Smiling, Cameron thought that he was being totally sincere about all this. It was difficult for him. He'd been trained almost from birth to fear Terminators. Breaking that compulsion to run wouldn't be easy. "Okay." She lay her head back down on her chest and started to rub in slow, gentle circles with her fingertips on his cotton covered chest.

John tried his best to ignore the soft whirring sound of pistons pumping and gears working, instead trying to focus on the pleasant sensations of his girlfriend's gentle ministrations. He wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her in closer to him. "At least you're better now, right? It's fixed?"

"I believe so. Weaver examined the damage." Cameron chose to indulge in her own little pleasurable experience and tried to burrow her head deeper in to his chest with a smile on her face, taking a great satisfaction from the closeness she was able to achieve.

"Good, I was afraid after…what happened, you'd be afraid to sleep with me again." He said, referring of course to the still sore mark she'd left on his side the day before.

Cameron frowned as she thought back to that moment. She did NOT like hurting her John.

John forced himself not to cringe as his eyes shot open, pain lancing across his chest where her hand had suddenly begun exerting an inordinate amount of pressure. He thought it might be best to continue the conversation. "Did we get any closer this morning?"

John instantly regretted asking that question. Her hand pressed down harder on to his chest, the skin under her fingertips turning white under the pressure. He was quickly beginning to realise that her problem wasn't physical at all, it was psychological. Any time he brought something up that she was uncomfortable with or was feeling guilty over, her hand twitched. In this case, the issue of sex…and his chest really hurt.

"It's alright…it's not your fault Cameron. I'm probably just doing something wrong…we'll figure it out eventually." He said through gritted teeth, his head pressing back in to the pillow.

Just as he felt the pressure increasing again, he sought to try and calm her down, evidently he'd said the wrong thing again. He was pretty sure a rib or two would be cracking soon if he didn't do something to ease her tension. "Amy said you…enjoyed yourself in the future…That means you're capable of it…I just need to figure out how."

Evidently she saw sense in his statement as she released the pressure on his chest and sat up to look at him. "If you're sure…" She said, as if nothing were out of place, clearly not realising what she'd just been doing to him, such was her focus on dark and unwanted thoughts.

"I am." He nodded and dropped a relieved kiss on her lips, just happy the pressure had abated. "And you need to stop worrying about it so much. It's not like I'm not enjoying myself trying to figure it out."

She leaned down to reply with a kiss of her own before sitting back up, her hand resting gently on his chest. "I need to patrol tonight. Are you okay with that?"

"Only if I can crash here for a while." He let out a long yawn as he snuggled deeper down in to the mattress. His loooong day with Derek catching up with him. "Your bed is comfy."

Smiling down at her cuddly little human, Cameron planted a long, tender kiss on his forehead. It looked like she was successful in her efforts to get him used to her true form. "Our new bed arrives in less than two weeks. It is very comfortable."

He merely mumbled something unintelligible in reply as he quickly drifted off to sleep.

Stepping out of her room, Cameron walked down the hallway and down the stairs, only the creak of the odd floorboard giving her position away. She hadn't had a chance to fully map out all the sounds in this new house yet, it was something she always prioritised whenever taking up residence in a new property. She'd done it when they first jumped to the future, then again when they moved. Frowning at her lax attitude to her duties of late, she trudged down the last few steps, consciously making as much noise as possible, may as well start now, she reasoned.

On her way past the kitchen towards the back door, she stopped and looked at the fridge. She wasn't overly fond of eating. She could do it obviously, she even found some tastes to be intriguing. Ice cream and chocolate were examples of things she would classify as 'enjoyable'. However the steak she had earlier, while admittedly not a pristine example of how to cook and prepare meat, bearing in mind it was Sarah who prepared and cooked it, was not something she would classify as pleasant. But, her meal had been cut short by her 'family's' foul mood that night, and she needed to eat to aid regeneration.

She pulled open the door, the light illuminating the room. Scanning the pretty bare contents, she searched for most protein rich items, the whole process taking a fraction of a second. Grabbing the item topping the list, she frowned when she considered that it wasn't particularly the best item she could choose to eat while out on patrol. First of all, her pockets weren't big enough to fit a jar of peanut butter, she'd have to carry it until the optimal time to consume it.

Closing the fridge a little more firmly than she'd intended, she turned around to find Sarah entering the kitchen with her arms folded across her chest. She looked, dare she say it…sympathetic.

"What are you doing?" She asked, leaning against the door frame.

Cameron looked down at the jar in her hands and back up to Sarah. "I'm going out to patrol the block. I need to eat while I'm out."

"Why peanut butter?"

"Protein. It will help the regeneration of the removed tissue."

Did she look…sad? Sarah couldn't quit tell. All she did know was that her son needed a good solid smack on the back of his head. Sarah was never one to coddle John, or anyone for that matter. But all she wanted to do at that minute was wrap Cameron in a blanket and protect her from the world. Which made no sense, but neither did anything in her life these days.

She was nervous about Charley, about Vasquez, about Cameron, about her own health. But mostly about John. He looked quite frankly exhausted during dinner, he'd only been training with Derek for two days. He was intent on becoming the super soldier he was painted as in the legends and stories Kyle had told her about her son. But he was only seventeen years old, he wasn't the man, the General that Kyle knew, not yet anyway, and he'd never get there if he was broken by his efforts before he hit twenty.

Now he was going through some sort of realisation, finally, that his girlfriend wasn't in fact the dream girl she was sure he thought she was. He'd always preached about equality, that she was a person first and a machine second. While she had to admit, it gave her a small sense of satisfaction to see him eat his words just a little, she couldn't help but feel sorry for both him and Cameron.

Cameron had once told her that he suffered from nightmares. If they were anything like the visions that haunted her own nights, then she did sympathise just a little with what he was having to endure. The most vivid symbol he was likely to have of Terminators would be an endoskeleton arm, that being the only part he'd ever seen in person through Uncle Bob. Now it was being thrust upon him in the form of the person he claimed to love. Somebody he was as close to as any two people could be. They were intimate, and that wasn't helping him in the slightest.

Shaking her head just a little, she picked up her eyes from the downward direction they'd drifted to and looked back up at Cameron. She was still stood awaiting a response, and her delay probably didn't help matters.

"Why aren't you with John?" She asked in the gentlest tone she could, for once not wanting to hurt the cyborg.

Frowning, Cameron looked down at the non existent object Sarah had been staring at a moment ago. "John is sleeping. On my bed if that's alright with you?"

With a quick nod, Sarah shifted her weight off the door frame and stepped over towards Cameron, holding out her hand. "Give it here."

Looking somewhat reluctant, Cameron slowly extended her arm and handed over the jar. She watched as Sarah took it with a blank expression and headed over to the opposite side of the kitchen. Cameron craned her neck to try and see what she was doing, not daring to move closer.

Reaching in to the breadbox, carefully avoiding the grenades stored at the back, Sarah pulled out a loaf of bread in it's wrapper. Grabbing a knife out of the cutlery drawer, and digging through the 9mm clips, she pulled out a knife, shoved the drawer closed with her hip and brought everything back over to the counter next to Cameron.

Tilting her head, Cameron took a tentative step forward. "What are you doing?"

With an exaggerated eye roll, Sarah looked up at her companion. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm making a sandwich."

Not that she wasn't grateful, and once again surprised at Sarah's attitude, but she had a small gripe with that. "But, that will reduce the amount of protein available for consumption."

Quirking a brow, Sarah looked up from unscrewing the jar, something she was so far unsuccessful with. "So, what, you were just gonna eat it straight from the jar?"

"It seemed like the most efficient method of garnering the required nutrients." She said with a small shrug.

"You're not Winnie the Pooh, Cameron." She finally gave up on trying to unscrew the jar and handed it to Cameron to do. She took it and popped the top off before handing it back. Sarah accepted it with a small appreciative smile. "Not to sound insulting or anything, but your infiltration skills are lacking lately. We have neighbours now remember, what would they think if they seen you wandering around with your hand in a jar of peanut butter?"

"Regenerating takes priority over the neighbours opinion. They don't matter to me, John does." She looked down at her now gloved hand. "If it means I have to do nothing but consume food until it's healed, then so be it."

Sarah could've sworn she almost sounded resolute about that. Pausing and putting the jar down, she laid her hands flat on the counter and examined the girl standing in front of her closely. After several long moments, she asked the question that came foremost in to her mind. "What are you doing?"

Tilting her head slightly to the side in her customary fashion, Cameron decided the question was more direct than it probably sounded. "Discussing the merits of a sandwich versus eating only the filling."

Sighing tiredly, despite it still being relatively early in the evening, Sarah shifted her weight back and crossed her arms across her chest and regarded the cyborg with a surprisingly patient look. "No, I mean, what are you doing in general? With John, I mean."

"What do you mean?" The cyborg asked warily, suddenly wishing John was by her side.

"Well, I just can't get my head around why. Why are you engaging in a relationship with my son?" The question was asked with no malice, no intent, just a genuine curiosity. She'd never had the chance to corner Cameron on her own since John came home and announced they were now a couple.

Cameron hesitated. Usually she could come up with the answer to any question in a split second, even if the answer was a lie. Now however, she found herself not wanting to lie, and not knowing the accurate answer. "I don't understand." She answered honestly.

"You were sent back to protect him, I get that. Whether it was by programming alone, something I'm beginning to doubt, or whether it was through some form of choice, you continued to protect him despite the fact he treat you like crap for the best part of a year. Now all of a sudden you two are head over heels in love? Come on."

She may have been understanding, she may have been tolerant, but Cameron sensed that Sarah wanted a reason, perhaps some assurance over her intentions. It was unprecedented, it could be considered unnatural, Sarah had a right to question the relationship.

"John…had a change of attitude a while ago." She said quietly.

"Yeah, I can see that."

"He has always considered me as something more than his protector, something more than a simple Terminator." She paused, trying to come up with the correct words for what she was trying to say. "I believe he has only recently gained the confidence in himself to act on the desires he has long held."

Despite her impassive tone, Sarah could tell there was a lot of meaning behind her words. Something told her that Cameron didn't want to be having this conversation any more than she herself wanted to even be considering the subject of the conversation.

"Desires?"

Looking up from the counter, Cameron locked eyes with the older woman. "Yes. John has always held an attraction to my appearance…it's part of the reason this template was chosen." She paused, the memory of Allison still regrettable in her mind. She didn't have to die, but she was too 'young' in her development to realise that at the time and blindly followed her underdeveloped emotions at the time and acted on her annoyance at being lied to.

"I knew that. I always knew he was attracted to me. When it appeared that I was…that he was heading in the wrong direction, I considered using that attraction to…bring him back in to line." She frowned at her own words, but that was the truth. When he was spending time with Riley, he was making mistakes, he was wasting time that could be better spent preparing for Judgement day, instead of chasing a 'normal' life.

Through all that time, she'd follow him, keep him safe. On the rare occasion he was able to elude her, she'd stay at home. She often considered using what she had, she often had her dresser drawer open and the lingerie out on top, seriously considering donning it, if only to end his relationship with the walking security risk known as Riley Dawson. She contemplated waiting for him in his room with a sexy pout and a teasing trail of her fingers over her body. But ultimately she'd never followed through with it.

"In to line? Your line you mean?" Sarah didn't like what she was hearing, but she was at least willing to hear her out. After all, Cameron appeared honest and was answering her questions.

"No, not 'my' line, the line he is supposed to walk. John is important to us all, I couldn't let him continue believing he was capable of being 'normal', because he isn't. John Connor isn't normal, he's extraordinary."

"You say that like you read it in a book." Sarah challenged with a snort of derision.

"I did…"

She paused, this was difficult for her too. Her newfound and still developing emotions playing havoc with her ability to remain calm and collected the way she wanted to. Her ability to remain impassive had been her defence mechanism over the past few years, it prevented any undue attention being focused on her when she didn't seek it out.

"Yeah? Which book?" Sarah was still trying her level best to keep her tone non confrontational.

"When I was first created, it was for the express purpose of gaining access to John. I was built to kill him." She looked down at the counter top, a guilty expression on her face. "This template was chosen because Skynet believed the girl I was modelled after was…important to John."

Suddenly finding herself intrigued, Sarah leaned a little closer, the sandwich all but forgotten about. She'd never known about any of this before now.

"When she was captured, she was in the process of relocating from one base to another. We believed she was moving to the new Connor camp, an almost impenetrable bunker. Among what little possessions she had was a diary. As part of my infiltration, I read it, processed its data and discarded it."

Sarah felt she could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Cameron seemed totally enveloped in the story, retelling it as if she were reliving it. She had a feeling she probably was in that CPU of hers.

"She was…infatuated with John." She didn't say any more, wanting to respect her and John's privacy. "In one of the later pages, she wrote about him. She described him as extraordinary, an inspiration."

_She loved him…_

Sensing that Cameron was finished, Sarah let out the breath she'd been subconsciously holding. "So, that's why you're doing all this? To keep John doing what he's meant to be doing?"

"No." Cameron shook her head. "If that was all I wanted, I simply would've killed Riley and forced him to acknowledge his responsibilities."

"So why didn't you?" Sarah asked with a shake of her head.

After what felt like an eternity, Cameron answered. "I wanted to, but I couldn't, my mission priorities were overridden. I found myself torn."

She looked up at Sarah and took a step closer to the counter, laying her hands on top of it. "Remember when Child Services came to the old house asking about her? I took her out to the shed with the full intention of terminating her."

Sarah had no idea about this. She remembered asking the Terminator to get Riley out of there until they fobbed the woman from Child Services off, but she had no clue any of this happened. Just another example of John not telling her everything.

"What happened?" She now found herself gripped by the story and the inner thoughts of the machine, no, the woman John had deemed fit to fall in love with.

"I knew that John would be upset with me if I were to kill her. I didn't want that. The priority to kill her battled with the side of me that wished not to. In the end, John arrived before I had a chance to come to a decision."

"So what changed your mind about John?" Sarah asked after a long delay.

"John did." Cameron answered with a small smile.

"After Riley died, he seemed to mature, he grew to accept me like the way he used to. Then…he saved me."

"Saved you?" This was starting to get too much for Sarah to handle. She'd never known Cameron was as deep as this.

"I asked him to…alter my programming." Cameron looked down at the counter again as she thought back to the time she asked him to wipe her emotions clean. Back then she had no idea what was possible and simply wanted rid of the annoyances that had lead to John being directly endangered.

"He couldn't do it. He refused…he kissed me that day…I liked it, knowing that someone cared for me as much as he does…or did."

"Cameron, just because he's being an ass about…this," she said with a wave in the direction of her arm "Doesn't mean he's suddenly stopped caring for you."

Sarah chuckled at how absurd this all was, giving life advice to a Terminator. "You think I suddenly stopped caring for Charley just because we were forced to leave him, me and John back in ninety nine?"

Cameron shook her head and Sarah continued. "He's just scared. He's never really had to deal with…what you are before, and when he has, it's usually been bad…like on his birthday." Sarah was almost reluctant to say that, but she needed to make her point properly.

"Just give him time…and don't be afraid to smack him if he really bothers you. He's still seventeen and stupid after all."

Cameron looked at Sarah with a tilted head as she set to work on finishing off her sandwich. She had no clue what had gotten in to the woman. Never before had she been so understanding towards her, perhaps she was taking John's advice to treat her like a normal girl seriously. Or she'd flipped, one of the two. Either way, Cameron was thankful to have at least one person on her side.

As Sarah pulled out some foil wrap and set to work wrapping up her supper, Cameron dug a tentative finger in the still open jar of peanut butter and popped it in to her mouth.

_Hmm, the texture is interesting. Perhaps this being forced to eat may not be so bad._

Sarah handed the sandwiches over with a smile as Cameron sucked on her finger. "Nice?"

"It is…interesting." Cameron replied, removing her finger from her mouth. She picked up the foil packet and turned on her heel towards the back door. "Thank you Sarah."

"You're welcome…listen, don't go too far. We can't risk you being exposed like that."

"I know, I'll be careful…Sarah?"

Sarah turned around from wiping her hands on a cloth when she heard the almost tentative way her name was called. "Yeah?"

"Do you…do you ever wish John had…chosen someone else?"

Sarah sighed, she thought she'd managed to escape without getting too deep. "Look Cameron…"

"Please? I'd like an honest answer."

Sarah nodded, she of all people had always preached honesty in her house. "Honestly, yes I do."

"Oh…thank you for…"

Cameron never got the chance to finish off her trademark statement as Sarah pre-empted her. "But that doesn't mean I'm not happy that he has chosen…someone, even if it is you."

"I don't understand." Cameron said honestly as she stepped forward just a little.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah forced her voice to remain neutral, well, as neutral as possible considering who she was talking to. "I was always worried that with the lives we've been forced to live, John and I, that he'd never have the opportunity to have a family, to find love. If he's managed to find at least some form of that with you, then…who am I to begrudge him a little happiness?"

After a long few moments, Sarah left the kitchen without another word.

Pausing for only a few seconds, Cameron glanced down at the package in her hand before stepping out through the back door, letting it gently close behind her…she didn't want to wake John after all. As she rounded the front of the house, she ran in to Amy, evidently the mini metal had chosen to play outside that night.

Amy looked over her shoulder at Cameron, still effortlessly skipping over her rope out on the front lawn. She didn't bother stopping when she spoke. "How'd it go?"

"Sarah…made me a packed lunch." Cameron answered, confusion evident in her voice. She appreciated the gesture, she just couldn't quite get her head around Sarah's new found attitude.

"Um…I meant with John. You patch things up?"

"Oh." Cameron thought back to the moment where John looked up at her and smiled while holding her hand. "I believe we're making progress."

"Cool…Sarah made you a packed lunch?" She asked, stopping her skipping. At Cameron's nod, her mouth formed in to a pout. "She never makes me a packed lunch."

With that, she stomped of unhappily towards the house, leaving a bewildered Cameron behind her.

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**First of all, apologies for the delay of over a month. I've never gone that long without releasing before and I'll try to make sure it won't happen again.**

**Second, I tried something new with this chapter, in that it's all just one long scene. I know it might not be to some people's taste, but trust me, it's a one off. The content of the chapter meant I could try something new and hopefully interesting.**

**As always, huge thanks to Dekardkain for breaking out the cattle prod on a consistent basis, otherwise this might've taken longer than it already has.**

**The story will be picking up speed soon with a couple of obvious plots introduced in this chapter. Stick with it, I promise it'll get interesting soon! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi,**

**Thanks to reviewers CloudyShadows, uncommoner, Vintorez, lje100smith, olischulu, kaotic, XxDeathStarxX, leexed, sasha starr, EvilTheLast, Jaing Li, darkfinder, sumofme, Lsquare, lionel Palmer, Nyrki, macgamer, Liz, Jordan33 and crazyhand.**

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Despite his aversion, at least the one he tried to portray in front of John, to anything even remotely normal, or even worse, 'domestic', Derek had to admit that there was something to be said for it.

It was rare he had stayed in one place, or with one person, long enough to grow comfortable, but it definitely had it's upsides. He wasn't even wearing his piece, which was nestled away under the bench in his recently 'borrowed' truck, and the strangest part was it didn't bother him a bit.

It was about that time he caught sight of the reason for his recent mood shift making her way out from the bedroom at a surprisingly early hour, at least for her, looking about as tired as he felt. Tossing the newspaper he'd been scanning down onto the bar, he quirked a brow in Jessica's direction, "You're up early."

Sliding up behind him with the grace that accompanied most of her movements, despite the early hour, Jessica snaked her arms around her man's waist and clasped them in over his stomach. Squeezing him tight, she settled for a tired sounding groan while allowing her head to come to rest between his shoulders and her eyes to close.

"Mmmmorning," she breathed.

Derek caught himself smiling like an idiot in the reflective surface of the fridge, and it didn't bother him in the slightest. It wasn't a crime to be happy, right? "I knew this was too good to be true."

The soldiers just shook his head, and craned his neck around to drop a kiss on Jessica's hair, "You've come to run me off, haven't you?"

Smiling at the affectionate greeting, she released her grip on his midsection and allowed her hands to glide around to his back where she started gently tracing the length of his spine, up and down slowly. "Well...I was gonna make you breakfast."

She leaned in to drop a teasing kiss on the back of his neck. "But I guess I could just kick you out now, your choice," she said with a smile and a shrug.

"Wow." He caught himself shuddering a little, not exactly used to slow and gentle. Jesse was alright, but that wasn't really her speed. "Well as long as I'm getting a choice, I think I'll choose breakfast."

It was about that time his still fuzzy brain decided to catch up with their conversation, causing his forehead to wrinkle in confusion, "Wait... you're gonna cook?"

Pulling away from him, she sauntered around to the other side of the counter. "Yeah, I've always liked to cook, I just like to eat out a lot too."

She carried on her path with a shrug, eventually stopping opposite him and resting her hands on the counter. "So, what would my Scruffy Puppy like to eat?"

Not that she was exactly a five star chef, but ever since she was a little girl she'd liked to cook. Every chance she got she'd sweet talk Daddy's chef in to letting her help. She'd maintained that passion for it ever since. Not that she ever got a chance to show off her talent, restaurants and takeaway's for one were her life to this point, but it was nice to be able to indulge for a change.

Derek thought about it for a long moment, his lack of tact bleeding through despite his best efforts as he eyed up the line of skin peeking out between the plackets of Jessica's robe. A quick glance at his watch snuffed that thought out just as quickly as it had arrived though, "Well, it looks like we don't have enough time for what I really want for breakfast."

Leaning across the counter with a smirk, he dropped a quick kiss on Jessica's lips before offering up a grin, "Bacon and eggs sounds good though."

"Comin' right up!" Her beaming smile and enthusiasm were infectious as she bounced over to the fridge to start pulling out ingredients. The fridge was surprisingly well stocked, something Daddy always put a little extra in to the maid, Consuela's pay packet to ensure.

"Any plans today?" She asked, her head mostly inside the fridge as she bent down to rummage around inside.

Unfortunately for Derek, he hadn't been planning on Sleeping Beauty waking up before he left that morning, something she'd never done before. That meant he had to pull a cover story out of his ass with no notice, something John was much better equipped for than he was, "Um... yeah. I'm taking the kids upstate. We're... camping."

"Camping?" She asked with a quirked brow as she emerged with an arm full of bacon and eggs and bumped the fridge door shut with her hip.

"Two if them are like, eighteen right? Haven't they grew out of camping by now? John and uh..." A frown replaced her confused expression, she really should've been able to remember what the girl was called.

"Cameron." Derek confirmed with a barely contained frown, remembering exactly the scene he'd left at home the night before. Then it occurred to him like a flash of lightning - the best stories always have a grain of truth, and he had a whole lot of family drama to dish up for his girlfriend, "She's been having a rough time lately. It's actually why Sarah asked me to take the kids for a while, get her mind off of it."

"Aww, poor girl."

_Cameron, Cameron, Cameron._

She repeated the name several times in her head to make sure she remembered it when the time came to eventually meet her. With a deep breath and a forced smile, she cracked a couple of eggs in to the waiting pan when a thought occurred to her. "Wait, it's not boy troubles is it? I could help with that you know. IF, I ever get to meet her that is."

"Hey," Derek just tossed both hands in the air in surrender, "I keep telling you, soon. There's a lot of family shit going on right now and... it's just not a good time, alright?"

Suddenly, he looked like he'd just swallowed something that really didn't agree with him, "And yeah, I guess you could call it boy trouble. Cameron doesn't have a lot of experience with that kind of stuff. She's... special."

Turning around and leaning on the counter, but not before dropping some bacon in the pan and switching on the heat, Jessica looked at him slightly alarmed, ignoring the fact he dodged her question again. "Wait, she's not...pregnant is she?"

If he'd been drinking anything, it would have been splattered all over the counter-top. As it stands, he just had a three second coughing fit while shaking his head side to side faster than Jessica has ever seen it, "Hell no! Just... no."

"Her, uh... boyfriend." Derek shrugged, once again trying to be as honest as he could without revealing the wrong thing, "She had an accident, it marked her up pretty good. She's afraid he won't touch her until she heals. Cameron's appearance is... very important to her."

"Jeez..." She pushed herself up off the counter and scrunched up her face in disgust. "Her boyfriend must be an ass. Probably doesn't deserve her if that's the way he is." She folded her arms across her chest, in a somewhat defensive manner.

"It's..." Derek frowned, knowing he couldn't really elaborate in the slightest without risking exposing them, "Complicated."

This whole situation was having the unexpected side-effect of giving him a serious mind-fuck. After all the speeches to John, after all the 'keep your head in the game and out of your girlfriend's pussy', here he was, relaxing in a veritable mansion while his beautiful girlfriend made breakfast for him.

"Cameron's taking it really hard though," Forcing a shrug, Derek's smile came off a little sickly, "So, Uncle Derek to the rescue."

"Awww." Jessica's frown was replaced by a charming smile as she leaned over the counter to drop a soft kiss on his lips. "I knew you'd be their favourite Uncle Derek."

"That's me, nice, reliable, funny, Uncle Derek." Obviously uncomfortable, he exercised a strategic retreat and changed the subject to the other seemingly odd occurrence of the morning, "What about you? You didn't get up this early just to make a bum like me breakfast, did you?"

She grinned as she bounced back over to the stove to check on the bacon. Satisfied it was sizzling away nicely, she then made her way over to one of the cupboards and pulled out a glass. "I'm meeting Daddy today. He's flying in to town for 'Daddy Daughter Day'." She turned back to face him and her enthusiastic smile spread from ear to ear.

Despite his usual reaction to enthusiasm - a low growl -, Derek just couldn't help but find this side of Jessica adorable as hell, "Daddy Daughter Day? What's that?"

Returning to her fridge to grab a carton of orange juice, she started pouring him out a glass as she spoke. "Well, since he's always so busy, he sets aside a day each month to be with me. We go out, have lunch together...It's nice."

She gave an unhappy looking shrug as she returned the carton to the fridge.

Derek frowned pointedly, suddenly feeling lower than dirt for all the times he'd had to run off on her without an explanation. This girl is obviously used to being let down, and that's something he was going to do his best to change.

He can be reliable, right? Right! Shaking his head, he glanced back as a curious thought slipped in, "That does bring up a good point though Jess."

She looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow as she slid the glass across the counter to him. "Oh? About what?"

"Well, you keep giving me shit about not meeting Sarah and the family," He shrugged, taking a long drag from the glass and offering her a grateful smile, "When do I get to meet Daddy?"

Jessica stiffened noticeably. She adored Derek, more than he knew, but she couldn't see her father agreeing with her opinion on that one. He was more used to high society rich boys, rather than the down to Earth guy he was. "Well, it's just that, I only get a day a month you know. I mean, I guess I could try to arrange something."

Derek surprised even himself when he caught himself frowning down at the table. Since when did ANYONE's fucking opinion matter to him, especially that of some stuck up his ass billionaire?

But because it was Jessica's father, he had to admit it bothered him that he apparently doesn't measure up. "Hey, I get it. Don't worry about it. He'd probably try to give me his wallet or something."

She frowned, that wasn't exactly what she was expecting to hear. "Is that what you think, that you're just some sort of charity case or something?" She shook her head vehemently, "I'm not like that."

He couldn't help but smirk, shaking his head, it's even worse than she thinks. Even when Jessica is thinking badly of him, she still sees him in a good light. "I uh... meant he'd think I was robbing him, Jess."

"Oh!" She blushed sheepishly, embarrassed by her naïvety showing through. "Well, you're not exactly what he'd be expecting. It might surprise him a little to know his Princess is dating a real man. He still thinks I'm under the impression you can get cooties from boys."

"Wait." Despite the somber mood to this point, Derek couldn't help but laugh, "Your dad still thinks you're a virgin? Babe, has he SEEN you?"

"DEREK!" Her head swivelled around faster than he'd ever seen her move before. It was almost as if she thought the room was bugged. "It's not like he doesn't know, he's not stupid."

Sighing and moving over to the stove to check on the food. "It's just that, he usually pre-approves my boyfriends. They tend to be rich boys, his business partner's sons." She turned back to face him, "Like I said, I've never dated a real man before."

Derek's smile was practically ear to ear. He loved it when she referred to him as a 'real man', it was definitely an improvement over 'scruffy puppy', which if John ever heard... well, how bad would it REALLY be to kill the saviour of all mankind? Maybe he could just wing him...

"Just sayin', I'd have imagined the whole 'pure princess' thing went out the window about the time the lingerie modelling started." Shrugging, he suddenly started shivering, "Oh, and please, for the love of God, don't refer to yourself as 'Princess'."

Her frown disappeared, replaced by an adorable pout. "But that's what Daddy calls me." She swayed from side to side, looking for all the world like a guilty kid, "Besides, he uh...doesn't really know about the modelling thing. Well, he knows I model...but he doesn't know I do the occasional underwear shoot."

"Oooohh," Hopping up from his seat, he made his way around the bar to Jessica, wrapping his arms around her from behind, "So I'm not your only dirty little secret? I think I'm jealous."

After leaning down and kissing her neck, he decided to clarify, "And uh... John calls his little girlfriend 'Princess', it's just a little creepy for me."

She looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow, his frisky behaviour and his reaction to 'Princess' really confusing her. "Why's that creepy? John's girlfriend doesn't really have much to do with you does she? Anyway, Daddy can NOT find out about my work, he'd probably have a heart attack. I'm serious Derek, you can't ever mention it to him."

"Why's it creepy? Probably because it involves the idea of my nephew having sex, Jess." He laid his chin on her shoulder thoughtfully, "And don't worry, I won't tell daddy. But just what in the hell are you going to tell him about me? I doubt he'll buy computer programmer any more than you did."

"Well..." She took a moment to nibble gently on his earlobe while it was right next to her face. "What do you actually do? We can start with that."

He frowned, his playful attitude disappearing as quickly as it came, Derek stepped back and pretended to be examining the skillets on top of the stove, shoving the bacon around aimlessly, "We already talked about that, didn't we? I collect disability from the Army... you've seen the scars, babe."

Despite her doubts, Jessica found herself nodding. "Alright...we'll go with that." She doubted it for the simple reason he had a habit of disappearing for hours and days at a time. No matter the problems, family issues wouldn't account for all that time.

"The truth is always the best policy." Leaning over to drop a kiss on her cheek, he finished off his juice and headed to the fridge for a refill, "So, how long until you're meeting Daddy?"

"I have a few hours to spare, I just wanted to get up to see you off first." With a smile, she turned back to the stove. "You'll meet him eventually, I promise."

"And you'll meet Sarah." Derek couldn't help but chuckle to himself while pouring his juice, "Just as soon as I can find a surgeon capable of getting that stick out of her ass."

"Just Sarah? I have to wait my turn to meet the kids do I?" She smirked over her shoulder at him while flipping the bacon over.

"You really wanna meet the kids, huh?" Shaking his head, he leaned over her shoulder to snatch a piece of bacon and gobbled it down, "Amy alone will eat you alive."

"Oh come on!" She chucked and turned to face him, "She's what, like eight? I'm sure I can handle one little girl, I'm great with kids."

He looked a little nervous, despite wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her flush with him, suddenly he wasn't feeling all that hungry... well, for food. "Is that what this is about? You wanna meet the kids to prove to me you're mommy material? That's a little... scary."

"I'm only twenty four Derek, I'm not quite ready for that just yet." She rolled her eyes to emphasise her point and wiggled backwards just a little. "Besides, I just want to meet your whole family, you always talk so fondly about them, especially John."

"They're..." Derek zoned out a little, realising this himself for the first time, "Kind of all I have. I didn't think I had any family left after Kyle died."

"Sometimes, it's nice to be wrong." Dropping a quick kiss on her forehead, he hopped up onto the counter to let her finish up with the food.

"Sounds nice." She idly pushed the bacon around in the pan, kind of zoning out as she contemplated her own lonely upbringing. "Tell me more about them, please."

He knew they were on shaky ground here, and Derek wasn't exactly sure where to start, "Uh... what do you wanna know?"

"Well, just, details, what to expect. I mean, are they like, inseparable, really close?"

"You don't want to get between John and Sarah." Shaking his head, he smiled a little, "They're about as close as you can get without it being creepy."

"Amy is actually a lot like Sarah," His smile grew thinking about letting Sarah in on that little fact, if only to see her squirm, "Mouthy, opinionated, and smarter than hell."

"Little Amy sounds a lot like you too." Looking down, she was satisfied that his breakfast was cooked sufficiently. Sliding a plate over closer to the stove, she carefully lifted the contents of the pan out and transferred it to the plate.

Swivelling around and presenting it to him with a flourish, she set the plate down and sat on the stool opposite.

Derek could feel his stomach growling, but as always he tried to keep himself from shovelling food down in front of Jessica the way he usually did. "Thanks babe."

"John and Cameron are pretty close, but I already told you about that." He dug in to his eggs with a shrug, "Cameron is the one you'll have to be ready for."

"You mean cute little Cameron who's worried about a boy?" She shook her head and smirked as she swiped a piece of bacon off his plate. "How intimidating can she be?" She asked around a mouthful of bacon.

Pulling out his cellphone with a shake of his head, he remembered he'd snapped a few shots while no one was paying attention for this very purpose. "See for yourself. I think there's one of her and John on the couch in there."

Taking the phone from him, Jessica examined the picture he'd left on the screen. It was a snap of John and Cameron on the couch, looking like they were watching a movie or something. Her not having any siblings, she just assumed it was normal fro them to be cuddle together that close. "Aww, they look close."

She pressed the down button on the phone to scroll through his pictures, purely on instinct, not even stopping to consider that it was a blatant breach of his privacy. Eventually she arrived at a picture of what looked like...a room full of weapons. "What's that?" She asked as she handed the phone back to him.

"Oh..." He frowned, having absolutely no idea someone had taken a shot of him on the floor, shirtless, taking stock of one of Sarah's weapons caches. He was going to have a LONG talk with Amy about boundaries and personal property after this, "Must be an old shot I forgot to erase."

Frowning, she finished off chewing the bacon. She hated it when he closed off like he was now. Deciding it might be best to change the subject, she forced a smile. "Well, Cameron doesn't look all that intimidating to me. Pretty, yeah, but not intimidating."

"Well, she was happy in that picture." Smiling in relief, he quickly deleted the picture and returned to his breakfast, "Imagine a glare that says 'I'm going to swallow your soul'."

"Oh come on, now you're just messing with me." She chuckled a little, but then a thought occurred to her. "She's not like...I mean, I don't wanna sound rude, but is she...all there, in her head?"

He sighed, that was something he'd wondered himself more than once, "She loves John. She tolerates the rest of us. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, I guess it does. I hope John feels the same way, judging from that picture he does, but it's not fair to her if he doesn't love his sister just as much right back."

"Oh... he loves her back." He shook his head and tried to fight off a frown. After all, family love is a good thing, right?

Finishing off his breakfast with a smile, Derek leaned back in his chair, suddenly realising he'd be late at the Connor house in the next fifteen minutes. Which sucked, because the drive took more than thirty even if he was speeding. "Thanks babe, that was great."

Quickly whipping his phone back out, he started pounding out a text message to Cameron, figuring she was the least likely to hound him about it, or even reply.

Sensing that the conversation might be over, Jessica stood up from the stool and picked up his plate. "So, do you feel like giving me your opinion on the new dress I bought for today?" She turned and set the plate down near the washer before grinning devilishly in his direction.

Derek knew he should go. He knew John was probably itching to get out of the house. He knew Charley was in danger and that it was probably driving the kid, as well as his mother, off the reservation.

But when Jessica got that look in her eyes... It was REALLY hard to care. "Private modelling session?"

Jessica, knowing full well the simplest thing she did would always have the desired effect on him, sauntered around to his side of the counter and leaned in close to his ear.

"Just don't tell Daddy." She whispered before walking away towards her bedroom, pausing only to let the robe she'd donned earlier slip off her shoulders and pool around her feet.

Derek just smiled like an idiot, hopping up from his stool, he knocked it over without a backwards glance and jogged for the bedroom. After a half dozen steps though, he stopped and headed back in his tracks, "Ohhh... almost forgot."

"Wouldn't be a modelling session," sprinting back to the counter with a devilish grin of his own, he snatched his phone while simultaneously whipping his shirt over his head, "Without the camera!"

* * *

"Why is the cat trying to catch the mouse?" Cameron asked, leaning over towards Amy, almost bumping her shoulder.

"Because, that's Tom, it's his job to catch Jerry?" Amy answered, her attention mostly distracted by the cartoon in front of them both on the relatively small screen TV.

"From what I can see, he has repeatedly failed in every attempt. The mouse appears to be much too smart for him. Surely it would be more efficient for his owner to get a new cat…or simply lay down poison…or shoot the mouse."

Looking to her side and quirking a dubious eyebrow, Amy gave an amused little smirk. "You're kinda missing the point here Cameron."

"What then is the point? Why chase the mouse if he doesn't want to terminate it?" Sound logic on Cameron's part, or so she thought.

"Well, he probably does wanna kill the mouse, but this is a cartoon for kids, they'd never actually let Tom catch Jerry."

"I don't understand. The house cat is a descendant of predatory felines, it should be able to catch a simple mouse with ease." Cameron still hadn't tore her eyes away from the cartoon, her head remaining tilted to the side as she devoted almost her entire attention on it.

"Just…shut up and watch it would you. You're spoiling the fun."

"Oh, alright."

Amy looked over at her friend as she subconsciously tugged the sleeve of her hoodie down further and grabbed another handful of cereal out of the box, a frown present on her face. For the last half an hour, Cameron had been sitting cross legged on the floor with her watching cartoons and digging in to what used to be a full box of Cheerios. She hadn't said anything besides ask questions about Tom and Jerry, or about why the man under the influence of narcotics and his talking dog friend were chasing ghosts, that turned out to be the creepy owner of the mansion they were in covered with a sheet.

"How come you aren't going to see John this morning?" She asked out of sheer interest. She knew the reason of course, she just wanted to hear Cameron's answer.

Cameron looked down at her lap, away from the TV for the first time since she'd came in. "John is…tired. His training with Derek is leaving him exhausted. I don't want to be a burden."

Amy's face formed an expression that should've had a plaque underneath it reading 'yeah right'. Instead of pushing the issue, she turned back to her cartoons. She herself sat cross legged next to Cameron wearing bright pink PJ's, her hair flowing midway down her back as opposed to her usual pigtails. She looked for all the world like any normal little girl sitting in the living room watching Saturday morning cartoons with her big sister.

As Cameron dug her hand back in the box and claimed a handful of her prize, her cell phone buzzed. Setting the box down, she placed her hand in her hoodie pocket and fished the phone out. Flipping it open, and disregarding the oddness of receiving a text, she read the content of the message while still munching on a mouthful of now soggy Cheerios..

"Who's that?" Amy asked, leaning over to try and get a peek of the screen.

"It's…Derek." She replied with a tilt of her head and a bemused expression on her face. "He's asking me if I moved, or if I know where his claymores are."

As she started punching in a to the point reply, consisting of two characters, Amy scrunched up her face. "Derek's sending you text messages?"

"Yes…it is odd isn't it?" Cameron asked as she hit the send button and tucked her phone back in her pocket. She then picked the box back up and started eating again.

"It's not fair is what it is!" Amy folded her arms across her chest and looked back at the TV unhappily. "First Sarah makes you a packed lunch, and now you're getting messages from Derek. He probably put kisses on the end of the text didn't he?" She asked, clearly in a huff about the lack of attention she was receiving.

Cameron meanwhile tilted her head in a mixture of confusion and amusement. "Amy, first of all you don't eat, and second, you don't have a phone…and no, there were no kisses on the text. Only John is allowed to kiss me, even if it is just by phone."

Just as Amy was about to reply with a less than polite retort, a noise from upstairs drew both their attention, their heads tilting up almost in unison. This particular noise was becoming a regular occurrence lately, something that all the house's occupants seemed happy to ignore until it became a real issue. Both Amy and Cameron's HUD's displayed the same thing, an analysis of the impact of footprints hitting the floorboards above them, followed by the noise of a door slamming, and then a vocal recognition match to Sarah Connor as she emptied the contents of her stomach in to the toilet and then swore about it afterwards.

Cameron peered out of the corner of her eye at Amy and watched as she lowered her gaze from the ceiling and settled it in her lap. She chanced turning around to get a better look, the only thing she found was the sight of her friend looking all manner of forlorn as she absently picked at the bunny slippers on her feet. Cameron examined her for a moment and thought about how she herself always felt whenever she saw her John in pain. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, one of the drawbacks of being able to feel the good things.

Cameron slowly, and as quietly as she could, lifted another handful of Cheerios to her mouth and chewed, staring intently at Amy as she did.

"What?" Amy asked, not bothering to look up from her feet.

"You're worried about her." Cameron observed.

"No I'm not!" She snapped, somewhat childishly, her eyes shifting quickly to Cameron.

"Yes you are," Cameron countered with a tilt of her head and a gentle smile, "You only ever look sad when Sarah isn't happy."

Despite looking like she wanted to argue some more, Amy knew full well she didn't really have a case. It was obvious when Amy was in a bad mood. Her usual exuberance gave way to the funk she was currently plummeting headlong in to.

With a long, sad sounding sigh, Amy looked towards Cameron, but still didn't make eye contact. "She's getting worse."

Cameron regarded her friend for a long few moments before setting the box down. "Has she mentioned it to you?"

"No," Amy replied with a shake of her head, "I doubt she'd even talk to John about this kind of thing…it makes her look weak."

"Falling ill is not a weakness." Cameron answered as gently as she could.

"She sees it as one." Amy replied sadly. "It's all my fault."

Cameron's brow cinched together in confusion, she failed to deduce any remote possibility of Sarah's condition being caused by Amy. "How is it your fault?"

"She's been sick since I've come back." She answered, slumping further down.

"That still doesn't make it your fault." Cameron countered.

"Well it feels like it does."

Both cyborgs suddenly looked up as the sound of loud, thudding footsteps came bounding down the stairs. Cameron set her Cheerio's box down and smiled with anticipation at Amy. Gracefully uncrossing her legs and standing, she hurried over to the foot of the staircase…just in time to see John breeze past her heading towards the door.

She turned her head and eyed his back quizzically. "John?"

"Huh?" He said as he hurriedly pulled on his boots, one foot at a time, hopping around. "Oh, morning Cameron." He raised his eyes momentarily before snapping them back down to his feet. He'd almost managed to forget about her damage, or rather, he'd managed to push it mostly to the back of his mind.

Not failing to notice his glance at her arm, Cameron quickly tucked it away behind her back. "Would you like some breakfast? I've found Cheerios particularly enjoyable."

John looked at her with a quirked eyebrow, and then past her to the box on the floor that Amy was currently digging through experimentally. He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of his girlfriend munching on whatever tasted best in the kitchen.

"Yeah, I can see that." He glanced down quickly at his watch, "But I gotta get out to Derek, I'm surprised he didn't drag me out of the house. I told you your bed was comfy, I totally slept in."

Cameron frowned and double checked her internal chronometer, he was indeed late. "John, Derek isn't here yet."

John stopped, literally with his knee in mid air and his hand on his laces. "What do you mean, he's not here yet?"

"He isn't here. He sent me a message asking about equipment, I can only assume he's at one of the supply dumps." Cameron took a step closer with a bright smile on her face, "That means you have time for breakfast."

She reached out and took hold of his hand with her undamaged one and led him towards the couch. John allowed himself to be led and slumped down resignedly.

"I'll be back." Cameron said cryptically before heading off to the kitchen.

John sat there with a frown on his face. How could Derek be late? Of all the mornings that he actually wanted to get out of there. He knew if he was forced to stay, he'd only end up damaging the fragile accord he'd came to with himself about Cameron, and he didn't want that at all. He didn't trust himself not to react the way he was naturally prone to do.

The next thing he knew, Amy had climbed up next to him on the couch. Oddly for her, she hadn't bounced up happily, she'd just kinda crawled up next to him. Now he was forced to raise his arm as she quietly snuggled in to his side. Looking down, he allowed his arm to tentatively settle on her side where he started gingerly stroking her upper arm. This wasn't the first time he'd been so close to Amy, and he had gotten used to her a lot since she first arrived. Oddly though, he felt more comfortable being close to Amy than his own girlfriend at the minute.

"Hey, whats wrong with you?" He asked, genuine concern in his voice.

Amy shrugged against his side, "The cartoons aren't cheering me up," she answered sadly.

"You're sad? Why?" John asked, his easy rapport with Amy building all the time.

"I don't like my friends being sick." She said with another shrug.

"Oh…you mean Mom?"

John knew his mother was sick, he knew she'd lost weight…and it was eating him up inside to know there was nothing he could do about it. But he knew his mother. Despite what she may have thought, neither he nor everyone in the house was stupid enough to question her on it, well, besides Derek, but he'd never stoop to such emotional low's as showing concern for Sarah Connor.

He'd thought about asking her about it, but he dismissed that idea after remembering several incidents where his ear lobe burned from a sharp thump from Sarah whenever he crossed her. Despite the fact he now had almost a full foot of height on her, he still had that distinct desire not to be treated like a four year old again.

"Yeah, I mean Mom."

John looked down at Amy snuggled in beside him. Choosing not to draw attention to the fact she just referred to Sarah as 'Mom', John merely cuddled her in tighter.

"What do you do when something's bothering you?" Amy asked as she peered up at John.

He sucked in a deep breath, that was a good question. But he knew exactly how to answer it, after all, he was John Connor, he'd had a lifetime of worrying about stuff.

"Well, I have this bad habit of burying stuff deep down, and just kinda waiting for it to blow over I guess."

He shrugged and looked down. At Amy's quizzical look, he elaborated.

"What I mean is. Whenever I don't want to face a problem…I don't. I just sit back and hope it'll sort itself out. You know what I mean?" Feeling Amy nod against his side, he continued. "But I'm trying to get out of that habit. I mean, I asked Derek to train me, to get my head sorted out. For once I'm being proactive. Hell, I finally managed to get over my own hang ups and openly admit I love Cameron."

Smiling at the thought, he continued what he thought was the roll he was on, "Hell, I'm even learning to deal with Cameron's…you know. Her…." He frowned. He wanted to convince himself that he was in fact dealing with the damage exposing her endoskeleton, but he honestly couldn't. Quickly shutting up, he found himself thinking about her again, and the many reasons why he hated himself for what he was feeling around her at the minute.

Amy mulled over what he'd said for a few moments before coming to a decision. Smiling broadly up at him, she leaned up and pinched the fat on his cheek between her thumb and forefinger. "Thanks John!" She squealed happily as she hopped down off the couch.

John sat and watched, his jaw flapping around as she bounced out of the room. After a moment's effort, he managed to get his mouth to respond to his brain's commands. "Wait!"

Amy stopped and poked her head around the door frame and quirked an eyebrow by way of a question.

"You're okay now?"

"Mmhmm." She replied with a nod. The next thing John knew her head had disappeared and her usually light footfalls echoed on the staircase as she bounded up them.

John was still slightly stunned as Cameron silently made her way back in to the living room and settled in beside him on the couch. He jumped when she pushed a bowl of cereal under his nose. Turning back and tilting his head at the offering, Cameron took the opportunity to explain.

"Breakfast," she pointed out before pushing a spoon in to his hand, the cool stainless steel snapping him out of his daze. He accepted the spoon and slid a hand underneath the bowl before smiling gratefully.

"Thanks." Leaning over, he dropped a kiss on her cheek before tucking in to the first decent breakfast he'd had in days.

Cameron merely watched him with her head tilted. So far so good. Despite his apparent disinterest in her when he first came downstairs, he hadn't so far reacted to her metal hand coming in to contact with his own. This was good. These events coupled with the progress she'd managed to make on his mental state the night before made her feel much better about the current situation.

"Are you prepared for today?" She asked in a cheerful tone as he shovelled a spoonful of Corn Flakes in to his mouth. Observing him for a moment while he chewed and swallowed his food, she noted how his manners were impressive, even for one generally as unrefined as her John.

"Yeah, should be interesting." Digging out another spoonful, John looked over at Cameron. She looked…fascinated with hearing him talk about the most mundane things. "So, what do you have planned for today?"

Cameron shrugged, a very human gesture she'd perfected. "I have nothing planned. I could give the weapons a final visual examination ready for tomorrow."

"Uh, yeah, sounds good. Just don't tell Derek you touched his guns." John chuckled, Derek was notoriously protective of his guns and his truck.

As if on queue, Derek chose that exact moment to pull up outside in the truck and honk the horn obnoxiously.

"Time to go." John said with a grin as he stood. Palming the bowl off to Cameron, he quickly grabbed his jacket and made for the door.

As Cameron stood there holding the bowl, she fully expected John to at least acknowledge her presence before he left. Perhaps with a kiss, maybe a wave, or she would've accepted an 'I love you'. Hell, she'd have taken a goodbye. Instead all she received was the door slammed in her face as she walked over to try and take the initiative.

It wasn't like her John to do that, to fail to acknowledge her, recently anyway. For him to rush out like that couldn't have been for any good reason. In fact, she managed to formulate a short list of the possible reasons for his abrupt departure. It was a very short list, consisting of one thing.

She looked down at her arm, still mostly covered by her sleeve. Apparently John required a little more time to grow accustomed to her in her current state. Patience was the key, he'd promised he'd get over it and she had faith in him. He loved her, he'd come through for her.

She hoped.

—

Not that Derek was ever one for music, but he really wished he'd taken the time to program at least one station in his newly 'acquired', translated stolen, truck to something other than a spanish radio station. He didn't think he could handle that any more than the silence currently permeating the cabin of said truck. It was so unbearable in fact that it was even starting to bring his mood down from the obvious high he was on as little as an hour previous.

Peering over in John's direction, he couldn't really say he envied the kid. For the first time in his short life, he thought he'd found a small modicum of happiness. That was all thrown in to disarray when his little metal Princess showed him, pretty unsubtly, what she really was. Sure, she was pretty on the outside, but for the first time he was seeing her for what she truly was, and he was fairly sure it'd scared the living piss out of him.

Looking at him now, and the way he was clutching his ridiculously overpriced coffee he'd insisted they stop for, he could've sworn he was trying to bury himself deeper in to the seat. Something told him that his dear nephew didn't exactly have a deep sleep the night before, and he couldn't help but feel guilty that he'd slept like a baby wrapped up in Jessica's luxurious and overpriced Egyptian cotton bedsheets.

"You with me over there?"

He turned back to the road after getting no reply, "Would've thought that after all those speeches, you'd be happy you're getting a chance to fight."

John shook his head just a little as his brain caught up to what Derek was saying. "Hmm? Oh, yeah…thrilled."

Despite his good mood, Derek couldn't help but get a little pissed off at John's uninterested tone, he snapped a little more than he'd intended. "If you're not gonna take this seriously, I'll just turn around. Vasquez isn't fucking around John."

John shook his head and looked like he was awake for the first time that morning. "No, no, I'm alright. Just…I have a lot on my mind lately is all."

_Tell me about it._

"The only thing you should have on your mind is how we're gonna handle this." Shaking his head and turning back to the road, Derek sometimes wished he could program John the way he programs metal, it'd be so much easier. "This is one of the things you need to learn. In battle, you can't let your mind wander. You wait until you're home before you start contemplating shit…get it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Snapping more than he intended to, John felt he had a decent reason. He was cold, tired and afraid of his girlfriend. He had a right to be snappy given the circumstances, and Derek's voice was starting to get to him.

"Then get your head in the game." He frowned, uncomfortable with having to deal with John's issues at the moment…he had enough of his own. "Leave the domestic shit at home."

John's head meanwhile had slowly swivelled around to face him. It was eerily reminiscent of a scene from 'The Exorcist' the way he stared at his uncle. "How's Jessica?" He asked, his voice cool as ice.

Missing his tone, Derek simply replied as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Having lunch with her dad…far, far away from this shit."

John scoffed, that sounded pretty idilic to him. "Lucky girl. How come you're not there with her? She ashamed of you or something?" John was tired, he honestly didn't intend that to sound as harsh and offensive as it inevitably did.

"No." Finally at their destination, Derek slammed on the brakes with an evil smirk, really hoping to spill some if not most of John's coffee in his lap for that remark. "I have work to do. Keeping you and your mother alive is a ful time fucking job John."

John growled as he wiped at his now soaked groin. Luckily the coffee was only lukewarm by now, otherwise he had a feeling he'd be putting his newly acquired shovel skills to use and Derek would mysteriously disappear. Looking up, he glared at the back of his uncle's head as he climbed out of the truck. Setting his empty cup on the dash, he himself climbed out of the truck and slammed the door harder than necessary. He trudged around to the front of the truck and leaned on the hood, trying to use some of the heat radiating off it to dry his pants.

Derek joined him a moment later. "So, what do we have planned for this dump?" John asked.

Derek smirked a little, "Take a good look around John. Cause this dump is gonna be levelled by the time we're finished."

Grinning like a kid on Christmas morning, Derek walked around to the back of the truck and whipped off the tarp covering the flatbed, revealing the 'supplies' he'd assembled. He popped open one of the three large cases and grabbed a long coil of electrical wire.

John followed him after a few seconds in the glorious warmth of the ticking engine and gave a low whistle at what his uncle had brought with him.. "What's that for?"

Derek quirked his head to the side in an odd attempt at an imitation of Cameron. "What the hell do you think it's for?"

Instead of stopping and thinking about it, John decided it would be a good idea to blurt out the first thing that popped in to his head. "Um…you stringing up Christmas lights?" He smirked, his mood having lightened for the first time since he woke up in Cameron's room that morning.

Shaking his head, Derek wasn't quite sure what to make of John's mood. He lifted a claymore and tossed it in his direction. "Stringing up death. Still fun, just less festive."

John turned the claymore over in his hands with a smirk. "How many guys are we expecting here Derek? Claymores? Overkill maybe?"

"Depends." Derek paused and looked thoughtful. If he'd really thought it through, he'd have realised how absurd it would've seemed that he was standing in the middle of nowhere casually chatting with his nephew about the merits of claymore mines like they were discussing the NFL. "Would you rather have to kill them one by one while they're shooting at you, or thin the herd before they get within range?"

"Won't this attract a little attention?" John asked with a skeptical frown. "I know we're not exactly in the middle of downtown, but still, someone's gonna notice this going down."

"So what? We'll be gone by the time they can get up here." Shrugging, he gathered up the cases and threw the coil of wire over his arm and set off trudging up the hill in the direction of the run down house sitting atop it. "By the time they get here, the only thing left to arrest will be corpses."

Following a couple of steps behind, John was quite willing to admit, he was slightly in awe of his uncle, and how cool he was around all this, confident too. "What do you need me to do during all this? I mean, that's what the training's for right?"

"You mean right now, or during the fight?" He tossed the case down on to a thick carpet of dead leaves along with the wire. Fishing out a neon orange spray paint can, he marked an 'x' low on a tree stump to his left.

"Um…both I guess." He watched Derek slightly confused as to what he was doing.

Derek walked over to another tree about ten metres to his right, seemingly ignoring John's remark. Glancing down the hill, a smile grew on his face. He crouched down and put another 'x' on the trunk a few inches above the ground. "What are you waiting for? An invitation? Grab the claymores and set 'em up where I'm leaving marks."

"Oh, and make sure the side with the bold letters saying 'Front Towards Enemy' is facing down the hill." He remarked with a smirk.

"Well duh!" John said with a roll of his eyes.

Starting work on setting up the mines, he double and triple checked that they were indeed facing in the direction they were supposed to be. "So, how come you haven't brought Jessica over to meet everyone yet?" Despite his best attempts to sound casual, he was sure that just came off as nervous.

"Bad timing." Derek answered with a shrug, clearly not comfortable discussing this. "She doesn't need to see this shit."

"Besides," with a small smirk, he tried to steer the conversation in a direction more suited to him, meaning, away from him, "I'd think you'd be more worried about your girlfriend than mine."

_Dammit, slippery son of a bitch._

John frowned, the exact reason he'd asked about Jessica was to try and divert the attention away from his own messed up love life. "Well, she wouldn't be seeing any of this stuff. I'm just talking, like, a dinner or something."

"She'd still be seeing sarah." Having finished the first line of claymores, Derek walked over to the pile of equipment and snagged the wire up off the ground. He then started the slow process of stringing it from mine to mine, burying each finished unit under dead leaves before moving on to the next.

"Cover the exposed line up…no traces."

Standing up from his crouching position, John plunged his hands deep in pockets and started lazily kicking leaves over the line he'd just ran. "You say that like it's a bad thing." He looked up and smirked at his uncle, "You sure they wouldn't get along like a house on fire?"

"Hey! Those mines are active. If you yank one of those wires out then it isn't gonna go boom when we want it to. That's bad." Growling just a little, he turned back to his work. "And Sarah has been a little…edgy, lately. I'm in no mood to push her."

Bending down with a sigh, John started pushing leaves over the lines with his hands properly. "You know, she has calmed down a lot lately…" He trailed off, unable to stop his mind wandering to just how much weight she'd been losing lately, and how his new relationship was only adding to the stress being put on her.

"First we make her happy by saving her little boyfriend." He grumbled a little bit about the plan he didn't want to be a part of in the first place. "Then I call in a favour, see how that works?"

John smirked, "Nice plan." He looked behind him at the now invisible wire, "You think this'll work? I mean, I've never doubted her before, but this does seem half baked, even for her."

Standing up, Derek brushed the leaves off his hands and surveyed the area, zoning out just a little as it all played out in his head. "You and me on the ridge to the right, Sarah inside the house, the me…Cameron providing sniper cover. Cake walk."

John frowned, something about that plan didn't add up. "What's Amy doing in all this?"

Snorting with a mixture of disgust and mocking, Derek turned to face John. "Cowering behind my truck? She's pretty useless in a firefight John, trust me."

"What are you talking about? Amy can handle herself fine." He said that, but then again he was unaware of her reaction, or lack thereof the last time she was put anywhere near a gun.

"She hates guns." He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I know, metal hating guns. Who would've thought?"

"Well, yeah, there is that. But I guess she can still be some use. She wouldn't be much of a protector for Mom if she weren't." With that, John left Derek's side and wandered up to the ridge he pointed out earlier to try and get a better idea of what he'd be facing when the time came.

"What about you?" He didn't want to make John self conscious, but he also wanted to make sure that he understood what was going to go down, and what was going to be expected of him. "These aren't target dummies John, they're human beings. Human beings that want you dead, by the way."

"I can still shoot alright, Mom taught me well…I'll be okay. I just…I'll be alright, you can count on me." Looking down over the ridge again, his mind wandered to Charley, and how he couldn't shake the thought that they were placing the poor guy right in the firing line in all this.

"Good, because we can't handle this many guys without you." Joining John up on the ridge, Derek pointed down to their right. "Only one path in or out large enough for car, they'l be coming in right behind Dixon. We'll wait until the lead elements reach the second defence line before opening fire. The gun Cameron will be firing makes one hall of a dent. If we're lucky, we'll drop ten to twelve in the first volley."

"And if we're unlucky?" John asked with a sidelong glance.

"Then we'll have thirty very pissed off killers charging up the hill." He shrugged, "Still beats metal."

"Yeah, I guess it does. This is winnable right? We can do this?" He sounded less than thrilled at the prospect of the 'thirty pissed off killers' part of Derek's speech.

"Just remember, keep calm, keep focused, and don't settle for anything less than a clear A-box shot." Smiling, he slapped his nephew on the shoulder. "I'll be right beside you, so you don't even have to worry about shooting at me."

John let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. "Yeah, alright…we need to do anything else here?"

Derek smiled a big, wide, shit eating grin, the type of grin that told John he shouldn't have asked that question. "Yeah, there's a shovel in my truck."

He pointed to a spot a few feet in front of them, "We're gonna need a firing trench. I hear you're good at those."

* * *

"Po, Po, Po, Pokerface, Po, Po, Pokerface!"

_Oh God please kill me now!_

"Po, Po, Po, Pokerface, Po, Po, Pokerface!"

Sarah tried her hardest not to reach over and yank the radio out of the dashboard. Not only had Amy insisted on turning it on to 'make you smile you moody bitch', but she'd picked what was possibly the most annoying song ever created. Well, all apart from that crazy frog thing.

With an exaggerated sigh, she reached over and pushed the power button on the radio harder than necessary. The next thing she knew she had Amy wailing like a banshee right in her ear.

"AWWWW! I was listening to that!"

Just as she was reaching over to turn it back on, Sarah reached out and gently caught her wrist. Amy looked up at Sarah who by now looked like she was about to either cry or scream, either way, it wasn't good.

"Amy, if you touch that radio, I swear I will find a way to end you." Her tone remained calm and neutral, but even Amy could sense the beginnings of a growl beneath her exterior.

Slumping back in her seat and withdrawing her hand, Amy folded her arms across her chest and pouted. "You're no fun."

"Yeah, that's me, no fun Sarah." She deadpanned in reply.

Folding her arms tighter across her chest, Amy glared over at her travelling companion. Although obviously not a Lady Gaga fan, she certainly looked none the worse for wear from her exploits that morning. In fact, she looked all around to be pretty healthy, despite them both knowing better. Although she'd tried to palm it off as nothing more than a stomach bug, Amy really was concerned that her inevitable fate was coming to pass.

John had told her stories about his mother in the future. He always remembered her fondly, despite the odd run in with her, mostly about Cameron. The way he began to tear up almost every time he talked about her death would always stick with Amy, and was the primary motivation for her volunteering to come back through time. She wanted to meet the great woman who reared the great man, she never imagined that the two would grow as close as they had, despite one of her mission priorities requiring such a closeness.

"Hey, you okay?"

Turning her head to the side, my realised she'd been zoned out for a moment. "Hmm?"

"Um, nothing," Sarah turned her gaze back to the road. "You just looked…distant, for a second there."

Shrugging, Amy slumped back in her seat. With an exaggerated eye roll, Sarah reached over and pulled the hem of the little girl's dress back down to her knees. Casting a sidelong quizzical glance at Sarah, Amy couldn't help but wonder what she thought she was covering up.

"Um…thanks…I think."

"No problem," Sarah said, nodding. "So…you think this'll work?" She asked, waving a hand in Amy's general direction.

"Of course it'll work. What, you're doubting me?" She asked while straightening the hat on her head.

"No, not doubt…just, dubious." Sarah looked away from the road and once again examined her little friend. "Come on, where'd you get this idea from? He didn't even order anything!"

"I know he didn't. But they don't know that. Anyway, they're not gonna suspect me are they?" Amy idly fiddled with a button on the front of her dress. She didn't like anybody poking holes in her plan. It was a good plan…as far as she was concerned.

"Um…they know what you look like. They might get a little suspicious when you show up on Charley's doorstep the day after he calls me."

Amy looked over at Sarah like she was as dumb as Derek. "Duh! I'm not gonna look like this when I knock on his door am I?"

At that moment, Amy shimmered just a little, reverting to her metallic state. Or rather, her face, arms and legs did, her clothes remained the same. By the time she'd finished her shift and Sarah had looked over, amy looked like a completely different person. Long brown hair flowing down her back, piercing green eyes and a slightly darker skin tone. Truth be told, she looked remarkably similar to Cameron, only a younger version.

Quickly snapping her attention back to the road and doing her level best to avoid the oncoming sports car, Sarah closed her mouth, never quite being able to get used to how capable Amy was of reminding her of her true existence. Glancing over again, after she'd stuck her finger out the window at the asshole in the sports car yelling obscenities at her, Sarah examined Amy for a moment.

"So who are you supposed to be?"

"Well…" Amy had a feeling if she told the truth, Sarah might actually crash the truck this time. "It's uh…someone I knew."

Leaving it at that, she turned back to the road. In fact what she'd done was use her imaging systems to extrapolate what John and Cameron's daughter from the future, Abigail, would look like as an eight year old. Amy loved that kid, despite her developing a distinct petulant streak by the time she was sent back in time. But, what would you expect, being the daughter of the Connor's, a Princess complex was inevitable really.

"Uh huh…" Sarah turned back to the road with suspicion written all over her face. "We're here."

Amy sat up in the front seat and tried to peer out of the window, they were indeed at their destination, parked around the corner away from the lighthouse where Charley currently resided. Her attention was torn away from the street as Sarah released a sigh.

"You ready?" She sounded more than a little reluctant to send Amy out there, just why, she wasn't really sure.

Amy looked up at Sarah, and after a moment, a beaming smile spread across her face. "Of course."

"Alright," Sarah said with a small nod. "Just remember the plan, and good luck."

Rolling her eyes dramatically, Amy couldn't help but be a little touched at Sarah's concern for her wellbeing. Pulling the door handle and pushing the heavy door open, Amy slid out of the truck and hopped down on to the sidewalk, following it up with her customary door slam. Just as she started walking in the direction of the lighthouse, she heard Sarah's voice from behind her.

"Be careful, alright." Amy looked back to see Sarah's head poking out from the driver's side window. With another roll of her eyes, a grateful smile and a wave of her arm, Amy ushered Sarah back inside the truck. While she was delighted at her reactions, it wouldn't do anybody any good to spot Sarah Connor hovering around.

As Sarah sank back in to her seat, she watched Amy skip away happily and round the corner out of her sight. Releasing a breath that ended up coming out as a sigh, she huddled herself lower down in to the seat, hoping to avoid any curious passers by, and or Vasquez's men that might have been hanging around.

She didn't really know what had gotten in to her lately. She was treating Cameron like a human, a regular girl that her son loved. She was tolerating Derek's suspicious behaviour, and the woman he thought she knew nothing about. But now she was seeing Amy off like she really was an eight year old girl, the only thing missing was a 'sweetheart' comment and a kiss on her cheek. She put it down to the sickness she'd been going through lately.

She was well aware that everyone in her life knew she was ill, it was pretty tough to miss her losing her guts every morning and not eating during the day. John was worried about her, but fortunately he took after her in the 'dealing with your feelings' category. He wouldn't say anything, in fact, she had a feeling the only ones who'd eventually say something wouldn't even be human at all, and that thought sucked.

She had no desire to see Amy and particularly Cameron trying to play nursemaid when she inevitable got worse. Sarah Connor does not get waited on by anybody, least of all by a couple of machines. Besides, she had no intention of ever allowing herself to get that bad, she'd literally have to be on death's doorstep before she became bedridden. She had too much to do. Charley was in danger, John was under threat from Vasquez, plus the looming spectre of Judgement Day on the horizon meant she still had a lot of work to do, and she wouldn't stop until she'd done all she could for John.

That was why she felt guilty about the mission she was on now. She cared for Charley, she really did, but John always came first, always took priority. If that meant Charley became expendable, then that was something she'd just have to accept. She wouldn't like it, she'd mourn and weep for Charley. But everybody dies for John, it was all for John.

Amy meanwhile had happily skipped her way towards the lighthouse, not weighed down by the deep thought Sarah had. Instead, she had only her mission to focus on. Or rather, she should have. The damage to her chip unfortunately affected her ability to focus on one task and she found her mind wandering to Sarah.

She didn't like her friend being sick. She didn't like any of her friends suffering, however in her line of work it was something that tended to happen often. The first experience she ever had of having a friend ended badly, with her friend Jenny being murdered by Skynet controlled machines. She didn't want to see anything bad happen to Sarah, she was after all sent back to protect her.

But, how could she protect her from something she couldn't prevent? It was out of her control what was happening to Sarah, her slow decline in health. However, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Sarah had only started getting sick since she arrived in the past. Amy's messed up chip, and as a result her unstable emotions held her somehow accountable for what was happening.

But, taking John's admittedly shaky advice from their earlier conversation, she plastered on her smile and made out like nothing was amiss. If John had been doing it for seventeen years, she could manage it for a little while.

Shrugging it off and picking up her pace, she arrived at the door to the home at the bottom of the lighthouse. Taking a moment to ensure she looked presentable, and tucking a few errant strands of dark brown hair behind her ear, She reached up and knocked on the door. She wasn't used to dark hair, and brought a couple of strands in front of her face to examine it closer.

"Hmm…"

Filing it away for later use to experiment with changing her hair colour permanently, Amy tucked it back behind her ear and plastered on a bright smile as she heard somebody approaching the door.

Charley opened the door wide open, something Sarah would probably have kittens over, and looked around. Eventually his eyes landed on the little girl standing on his doorstep gently swaying from side to side and smiling up at him. Confused wasn't the word to describe what he was feeling…baffled was more accurate.

"Um…hi, can I help you?" He asked, clearly not knowing what else to say. Was she lost? Where were her parents?

"Here are your cookies." Amy extended her hand from behind her back and held out a box of cookies towards him.

Now Charley was an intelligent man. He knew for a fact he hadn't ordered any cookies, at least not from the girl scout currently standing on his doorstep. He looked down as she held out the box towards him with one hand and fiddled with her sash with the other. But he just couldn't force himself to follow Sarah's rules and slam the door on anybody he didn't recognise trying to give him something. Apparently bombs were getting quite small these days.

"Um…I didn't order any cookies, sweetheart." He knelt down to the little girl's height and forced a smile himself, a warm smile that nobody could deny was that of a gentle man. No wonder Sarah liked this guy.

"Oh. But I have the order right here." She tucked the box under her arm and fished in one of her pockets and pulled out a piece of paper and read from it. "One box of double chocolate chip for this address."

She tucked the paper back in her pocket and re-offered the box out to him. "These are yours."

Now his resistance totally crumbled. He was confused, wary, but totally charmed off his feet by the little girl in front of him. Nobody could be so cruel as to use this little angel to deliver a bomb. Deciding it was probably just a mistake at the Girl Scout HQ or something, he reached out and accepted the box.

"Uh, thanks sweetie. Um, how much do I owe you?"

"Four dollars and seventy cents please." Amy reached out and rather impolitely stuck her hand out flat, palm facing up, waiting for him to deposit some cash in her hand.

Charley smiled and chuckled at her impatience. Anybody else does that and they get a scowl for having terrible manners, but this little girl did it and she just looked cute as hell. He stood up and started heading back in to his home.

"Just hold on a second sweetie, I'l go grab my wallet." Before he'd even gotten the words out of his mouth, the little girl was wailing like a banshee and had squeezed past him.

"What a cute little doggy!" She squealed as she knelt down to cuddle the labrador's neck. The dog responded in kind and licked Amy's cheek as if it was covered in chocolate.

"What's his name?" Amy shrieked excitedly, switching sides so he could lick her other cheek.

"Um, his name's Indiana. He seems to like you." Charley said through a chuckle as he picked up his wallet and fished out a five dollar note.

Amy cuddled the dog in closer and giggled as he licked her nose. She screwed her eyes shut as the dog carried on licking higher.

"Here you go sweetie." Charley said as he offered the money out to the girl scout currently falling in love with his dog.

Amy reluctantly pulled away from the dog and stood, having to push him down to the floor, such was his eagerness to be friendly. "Thanks!" She said with a broad smile on her face as she took the cash and pocketed it. "Oh, I'll get your change. Let's see, um…"

She held up her hands and started counting on her fingers. "Five, take away, four…" Her face scrunched up in to a frown as she tried to work out the maths of giving him his change.

Charley chuckled and kneeled down again. "Hey, it's alright honey, you just keep the change alright."

A massive smile found it's way to Amy's face again and she bobbed up and down with delight. "Thanks!"

With that, she leaned down and petted the dog again. "Bye Indiana!"

Charley watched as she walked away towards the door. He actually had to bend down to grab the dog's collar to stop it chasing after her. Just as he looked up, Amy had spun around and was waving at him from the doorway. "Bye Mr. Francies."

Amy finished of waving and turned around to leave, but not before noticing Charley's wide smile turning in to a frown.

_Mission accomplished._

As she bounced back towards Sarah's position, a smug grin formed on her face. For once her advanced make up had been to her advantage. Thanks to Skynet, she could just as easily blend in amongst dogs and other animals as easily as a human could.

She skipped her way to the corner where the jeep was located. It was at that point that, after a quick check around, Amy allowed her form to shimmer again and revert back to her 'natural' form. The blonde pigtails returned, as did her skin tone and facial features. She also decided to ditch the dress, but kept the sash, it complimented her new dress nicely, plus, it as a sash, why not keep it?

As she rounded the corner, she noticed Sarah sitting up in the truck, eagerly awaiting her arrival. She made her way to the passenger side where the door swung open, Sarah having pushed it open from the inside. As Amy hopped up in to the truck with her smile still in place, Sarah felt the corner of her own lips rising almost of their own accord, such was Amy's infectious demeanour.

"It went well I take it?" She asked while turning the key in the ignition.

"Hell yeah! Three bugs in the living room, audio only. Two from what I could see in the kitchen and one on the phone. They're definitely watching your boyfriend. Nice guy by the way, he gave me the change!"

"Hey, he's not my boyfriend." Despite herself, Sarah smirked just a little bit more. "Nice job Amy, proud of you."

Amy shuffled over in the seat and flung her arms around Sarah's waist in a gesture she didn't really process before doing. She simply had an impulse to do it. "And you doubted me!"

Sarah looked down as Amy flashed her a grin. With a shake of her head, she put the car in drive and pulled away, but not before ruffling the top of her head…then catching herself lingering just a moment too long with her hand on her hair.

"Good girl."

* * *

"Hey, boss." Pablo gave the man sitting next to him a quick nudge.

Peeking out from under the brim of his hat, not exactly thrilled at being woken up, the boss looked over to his subordinate with a barely contained glare.

"Look!"

Sincerely hoping this was worth the effort, he craned his neck up to look out of the window…just in time to see a little Girl Scout with dark hair reflecting the sunlight, then the next moment she was gone, replaced by a little blonde girl.

He reached forward and plucked his cell phone off the dashboard. Flipping it open, he punched in the speed dial for his boss and held the phone to his ear. Pable sat waiting nervously, the boss meanwhile looked as cool, calm and collected as he was when he was dozing a moment ago.

"Yeah, it's me…Looks like we've got Connor's pet metal over here…No, not that one, the little one…Yeah, I wish it was the other one…Alright…You got it Mr. Vasquez."

With that he hung up and carefully placed the phone down on the dash. "Follow that thing."

Pablo watched as the Australian sank back down in to his seat and pulled his hat back down to shield his eyes. Starting the van, Pablo performed a U-Turn and headed down the street Amy had gone down, he could only hope the little girl would be easy to follow. Everyone knew the reputation of this, Mr. Quinn sitting beside him, and he didn't want to be the poor sap who disappointed him.

Slowly crawling down the street, he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of the little girl he saw a moment ago. He looked left, he looked right, hell, he even looked up, but there was no sign of the girl. He slowed down even further, taking extra care to peer down every side street and back alley.

With his palms starting to become sweaty despite the air conditioning, Pablo carried on his path. The little girl couldn't have gotten very far. If only he'd looked in his rear view mirror, he'd have seen something glimmering as it seemed to melt away from a storefront window and take the form of a small child. If he'd looked a little harder in his mirror, he might have even seen her giving a cheeky wave in the direction of the departing van before happily skipping away to rendezvous with Sarah.

**Apologies for the lengthy delay again, but at least it wasn't a month this time! :)**

**Also please note that Dekardkain's story 'Becoming John Connor' will be delayed for a while. The author has suffered a HDD failure and the almost completed chapter was lost and will take a while to re-write.**

**Thank you for reading this public service broadcast!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi,**

**Well I hope you all enjoyed 'All I Want for Christmas', it was fun to write! As always thanks to reviewers lje100smith, macgamer, olischulu, Vintorez, lee443, XxDeathStarxX, darkfinder, sasha starr, morded, sumofme, kaotic2, killingspire, EvilTheLast, Mouse56, Lsquare, Nyrki and uncommoner.

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_Oooooh, that feels good._

John Connor laid his forehead on the shower wall while he allowed the warm shower to wash over his back. After spending most of the afternoon digging _another_ firing trench, he had never felt so ready for a shower as he had a few moments ago when he stepped under the soothing spray. He had to admit, he'd treat the occasion like a woman looking forward to a bath. He was only short of candles to complete the picture.

He'd carefully laid out some clean clothes, stripped off and headed to the bathroom where he laid out his shower gel and shampoo precisely, grabbed a towel off the rack and switched on the shower and stood back to wait for it to heat up. Usually he'd just step in when it was still luke warm, fumble about for products afterwards and be in and out in under five minutes. This time however, he felt like indulging. His back ached, his shoulders were sore and his hands burned from the contact with the hot water, but the overall effect made it at least tolerable.

He idly wondered why he didn't put up more of a protest when Derek pushed the shovel in to his hands, and then remembered he was way too zoned out contemplating the forthcoming battle to put up much of a fight. In fairness though he had a lot on his mind. Not only did he have what would surely be a small army coming to try and kill him the next day, but he had all manner of domestic shit going on at home, shit he neither wanted nor needed at this point in time. Admittedly some of the issues were caused by him, but it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help the images that just happened to fill his nightmares.

Finally deciding to move, he picked up the nearby washcloth and set to work on getting himself clean with that and the shower gel. Glancing at the small shelf in the cubicle, he noticed a bright pink bottle. Curious, he picked it up and examined the label as best he could under the blinding spray and steam. The corner of his lips quirked up and he gave a quick breath of a chuckle. It was a bottle of Cameron's strawberry scented shampoo, a scent he was quickly learning to like. Setting the bottle back on the shelf, he continued to wash and let his mind wander.

It wandered to Cameron.

Prompted by the shampoo, his adolescent brain quite easily conjured up several pleasing images of his girlfriend in the shower applying said product. He closed his eyes and mentally traced the image, starting from her full thick hair, down past her adorable face. Lower over her breasts and drifting past her smooth, soaking midsection to her long legs, slender and soapy and oh so tempting.

She crooked an inviting finger in his direction, getting the merest ghost of a smile he loved so much, she beckoned him closer. She turned away from him and he glided up behind her. His hands found their way to her hips, where they traced every womanly curve, eventually around to her flat stomach and higher to her breasts. Just as he reached lower to continue his exploration, her hands came to rest atop his while they were part way to their goal over her stomach.

Something wasn't quite right. One of his hands felt cold in the hot shower.

Just like that, John's eyes snapped open, his fantasy cut short abruptly. Shaking his head and twisting the dial on the shower to a cooler setting, he picked up the pace with the washcloth, his face twisting in to an expression of annoyance. Once again his mind had thrown Cameron's…problem, in his face, and he'd reacted the way he didn't want to, with disgust and fear.

He loved Cameron, he really did. He wanted to be able to fully accept her despite her appearance. He knew what she was, he accepted what she was, he loved her all the same. Or at least he thought he did.

The nagging doubt that he only loved her for her appearance crept in to his mind for the first time since he'd first realised he did in fact love her. He'd so far managed to dismiss that thought out of hand, convincing himself he loved her for her, her mind, her personality, her adorable quirks, the whole package. But the fact he apparently couldn't see past the arm that more closely resembled five deadly claws than the slender hand she was usually in possession of, made him start to doubt his own faith in his belief.

Could he really have just been infatuated with her appearance? Was he really that shallow?

He felt terrible for the way he treated her that morning. He'd blatantly ignored her until she pretty much grabbed him and forced him to pay attention to her. She'd made him breakfast, she'd not done anything wrong, and yet he blew her off without so much as a goodbye. He hated himself for it too, but all he could think of when he heard Derek honk the horn of the truck was that he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, to do anything to take his mind off the situation.

He swore he'd make it up to her, and get over his seeming aversion to her condition and restore faith in himself and his love for her. Setting the cloth down, John switched off the shower and stepped out. Taking care not to drip on the floor, something Sarah had drilled in to him from a young age, he quickly towel dried himself off. When he was satisfied he was reasonably dry, he padded in to the bedroom and started getting dressed. Just as he was pulling his shirt over his head, a loud knock on the door snapped his attention to it. The next thing he knew, Amy's voice bellowed from the other side.

"Hey John, Sarah said dinner's ready."

For such a small thing, Amy had a surprisingly loud voice when she wanted to. Shaking his head with a chuckle, John resumed getting dressed. "Alright, I'll be a couple of minutes."

He listened to Amy's footsteps as she descended the stairs, he also faintly heard her loudly declaring to the rest of the kitchen that he would indeed be a couple of minutes.

Chuckling again, he finished dressing and stepped out of his bedroom and made his way downstairs. Taking a moment to compose himself at the bottom of the stairs, he sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly after a couple of seconds. Sure he was ready, he stepped in to the kitchen to find the table had been set and the rest of the family had taken up their seats. Nodding to himself, he stepped up behind Cameron and leaned down to drop a kiss on the crown of her head, making sure to take in a good lungful of that scent he liked. Grinning, he took up his seat to her left, opposite Sarah and Amy, Derek having left just after dropping him off. He'd cited the reason of getting a status report about something from Jessica, but knowing Derek as he did, John just assumed that was code for sex.

"Sorry I'm late."

Cameron eyed him curiously as he sat down. Not that she minded the kiss, in fact she found it to be distinctly pleasant, but she was slightly puzzled as to his seeming mood swings lately. In fact, it was only half an hour ago that he'd ghosted past her when he returned from setting up the ambush site with Derek without a word. She wasn't expecting him to be so openly affectionate with her, especially with Sarah sitting opposite them trying not to stare at her son.

"Are you okay John?" She asked, concern and confusion tainting her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with a sidelong glance and a reassuring smile, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Sarah observed the interchange between them. It looked like her son really was making an effort to be polite and pleasant to his girlfriend. It made a change from his distant behaviour as of late. She had to admit, she felt sorry for the girl cyborg. Cameron had done nothing wrong except for being what she was, and John was treating her like dirt because of it while she took it and said nothing. Sarah thought about saying something to both Cameron and John, but something held her back, the feeling that they both needed to work this one out for themselves.

She was no longer John's 'mommy', she was his mother, he'd made that abundantly clear. She also felt she had no right to lecture Cameron on the intricacies of human relationships, let alone human/cyborg relationships. They were a new couple too, couples have fights, it was only reasonable to expect them to work it out by themselves. Besides, she couldn't allow herself to lose focus of everything that was going on, namely Vasquez and the threat to Charley. Amy had confirmed that Charley was in fact being watched, and now thanks to her plan all they had to do was wait and hopefully kill the nut job responsible for all this. If not, inflict serious damages to whatever forces he'd managed to assemble.

Thinking of Amy, Sarah really was proud of her for coming up with the intricate plan and executing it flawlessly. Laughing at herself, Sarah realised just how ridiculous it was for her to feel proud. After all, a liquid metal machine is supposed to be able to do those things.

Looking over, she found Amy picking away at a hole on the side of the table right in front of her. Amy's tongue flopped out of her mouth as she concentrated on widening the hole. Reaching over, Sarah gently grasped Amy's wrist and pulled her hands away from the table and shook her head at her questioning look.

Crossing her arms with a huff, Amy slumped down in her seat. She didn't like being told what she could and couldn't do, even by Sarah. She had to find something else to entertain herself while the rest of the table's occupants ate, sometimes she regretted not being able to properly eat, it looked satisfying.

She examined the way John carefully tried to avoid looking at Cameron, or at least her arm, and she took pity on Cameron as she seemed to be staring lovingly at her boyfriend. Shaking her head, she reminded herself that John didn't intend to be such an ass to her friend, he just couldn't really help it. She knew he reacted to seeing her endoskeleton the way she herself reacted to firearms, with the need to be as far away from them as possible. Amy prided herself on not having any programmed orders to follow, but some things she had to respond to. John was simply doing the same thing in her eyes, following his programming. In fact, she probably had her dear Sarah to blame for that one, her mantra of the machines being the enemy, and 'no one is ever safe' had put John on a knife edge.

Despite there being food on the table, nobody had made a move to eat yet. Even Cameron, who seemed to be on a one cyborg mission to devour every tasty morsel in the kitchen lately hadn't touched her meal. Even to Amy, the mood in the room was distinctly somber. John looked contemplative, Cameron didn't look much better and Sarah looked flat out worried.

She couldn't blame them.

The next day they were all about to risk their lives to protect Charley, and hopefully stick a fork up Vasquez's ass at the same time. Whether this was some sort of pre battle ritual for them, Amy didn't know. All she did know was that she herself, while usually exuberant and enthusiastic about everything, was a little nervous about the upcoming battle. Sarah would be at risk, John would be at risk, Cameron would be mostly exposed, hell, even Derek was at risk. Amy wasn't sure what she'd be doing, and although she knew nothing could really harm her short of a Javelin missile, she really, really didn't like gun battles…they scared her.

Deciding that thought alone was sufficient to take action, she reached out with her left hand and plucked Sarah's hand off her lap. At her questioning look, she reached her right hand across the table and took hold of Cameron's damaged hand. Now she had two people looking at her like she had lost her mind. It was then that John surprised her, taking hold of Cameron's hand with his left and his mother's free hand with his right. He then smiled and nodded at Amy, somehow he knew what she was doing, what she wanted to do. The wonders of the boy would never cease to amaze her as he closed his eyes and bowed his head respectfully. Sarah quickly followed suit after a small smile at Amy.

Cameron was understandably the last to pick up on what was happening. It took a gentle shake of her hand and a subtle nod in her direction from John to get her to mimic the other's actions. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, taking great comfort in the fact that whatever this was, John wanted her to be a part of it.

Smiling, Amy allowed her eyes to close and lowered her head.

"Lord, please watch over us tomorrow. Keep us safe, and forgive our sins. May those who fall, rest in peace, and live on forever in your grace. Amen."

It was short, simple and to the point, but it seemed to have a profound effect on both John and Sarah. John released his mother and his girlfriend's hands and smiled appreciatively at Amy, even throwing in an 'Amen' of his own which Cameron copied, even with a confused face. Sarah though continued to hold on to her hand, even going so far as to gently caress her knuckles and squeeze her fingers with a smile. Releasing Cameron's hand, Amy used her now free hand to touch the cross beneath her dress and smile up at Sarah. A small smile, a shy smile, but a one she hoped conveyed the gratitude she felt to her family for indulging her like that.

Releasing her hand with a final squeeze, Sarah took a deep breath and picked up her knife and fork, a sign for the rest of the table to start eating. Amy sat back and idly fingered the hole in the table as everyone tucked in, her other hand never leaving her cross.

* * *

John woke up the next morning and immediately screwed his eyes shut again. What little sleep he'd managed to obtain hadn't really had the effectiveness he'd wanted it to have. Groaning, he rolled over and tugged the duvet over his head, intent on getting just a little bit more rest before he was forced to get up and face the day.

That was something he really, really didn't want to do. He'd much rather just curl up and stay in bed for the day, preferably with Cameron snuggled right in there next to him…but then again. Shrugging that thought off, and remembering the progress he'd made the day before, he rolled over again, trying to get comfortable despite the cool air seeping in to his generally toasty bed.

He started drawing up his plan of action for the day. Get up…in a while, bathroom, shower, clothes, breakfast, clean teeth. Once the standard stuff was taken care of, he then had to double check the equipment he'd be using for the day. He had to do one final rundown of the plan with Derek, in fact with his entire family. He had to kiss his girlfriend, tell her he loved her and make sure she'd take care of herself…that part he'd have no trouble with, in fact he was looking forward to it. He had to see to it that his mother was okay and up to the task. He had to try and ensure that Amy would be alright out there, that she wouldn't freak at the sight of a gun. He had to ensure the ambush site was properly set up. He had to take up the correct position beside Derek on the ridge.

Then he had to shoot and kill his fellow human beings.

That thought alone was enough to make him give up on the idea of returning to a peaceful slumber as he rolled flat on to his back and opened his eyes. Draping one arm across his forehead, he stared up at the ceiling, as if it wuld provide him with some comfort. He had no such luck however as a magic 'make Skynet go bye bye' button didn't emerge from the cheap plasterboard and what he was fairly certain was once white paint.

Chuckling to himself at the absurdity of his situation, he looked over and checked the clock by his bed. It read seven fifty four, very, very late by his standards. In fact, he was surprised Derek hadn't swung by to drag him out by his ankle, or dump ice cold water on him. Evidently Derek had too much on his plate that day to even attempt to continue his training, something John was particularly thankful for. He was in no mood to be ran through some woods, or to have Derek yelling in his ear, r to dug yet another fucking trench. Today he needed to focus, he needed to get this right.

Just as he started to contemplate rising from the comfort of his bed, a soft knock at his door put paid to those thoughts.

"Come in," he said with a less than necessary groan, followed by a very necessary clearing of his throat.

He craned his neck up from the pillow in time to see Cameron quietly slip in to his room and carefully close the door behind her. She looked good, her long legs were accented nicely by a pair of blue cotton pyjama shorts with 'Sexy' written across the ass in big white lettering. Evidently Cameron had decided to try something different during her last shopping trip. While it certainly was an odd choice given her usual taste, John couldn't help but admit he found them irresistibly cute.

His eyes trailed further up her body and over the matching top, eventually landing on her face as she turned around to face him. Rather than lingering there, his eyes found themselves drawn to something else entirely, something she held in her hand.

"Um, Cameron?" He asked, his mouth not really catching up with his brain just yet.

"Yes John?" She asked, taking a couple of steps in to the room.

"Is…is that a pop tart?" His head tilted to the side in an odd imitation of his girlfriend as he propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look.

Cameron looked down at the object in her hand as if she hadn't really given it any thought until he'd pointed it out. "Yes, it's a chocolate chip flavoured pop tart, why do you ask?"

"Um, no reason," he asked with a shake of his head. "I just haven't had one of those in years, not since I was a kid." He watched as she took a small nibble out of the corner, "Where'd you get it from?"

Chewing her small morsel, Cameron took another couple of steps until she was standing right beside his bed. "Sarah made it for me. Would you like one? We have more in the kitchen."

"Um, no, I'm good." He patted the bed beside him and watched her settle down on the spot with her legs tucked beneath her. "Mom made it for you?"

"Yes," Cameron took another nibble, a small grin tugging at the corner of her lips now that she'd reached the chocolate filling rather than just the pastry. "She thought I might enjoy one, so she made it for me."

John couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image he conjured of his mother handing a pop tart off to his cyborg girlfriend. His picture had Sarah ruffling the top of Cameron's head, however he didn't think she'd have gone that far. "What's with the napkin?"

Cameron looked down, once again as if noticing it for the first time, "Sarah didn't want me to make a mess," she said as she took another bite.

Now that was quite enough for John as he started to chuckle, the story Cameron had just told him was so domestic he could hardly believe his ears. Not only had his mother, Sarah freaking Connor made breakfast for his girlfriend, but she'd handed her a napkin to stop her from getting crumbs all over her house. If he hadn't heard it from someone as reliable as Cameron then he'd never have believed it. Since when did they have pop tarts in the house anyway?

Cameron didn't say anything, she merely settled for looking at him inquisitively, obviously not finding the humour in the situation as she continued to munch on her breakfast.

When John had settled down a little, he stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Alright, now you're just teasing me. Go on, gimme a little bite of that."

Cameron frowned, "But you just said you didn't want one."

"Well, I don't…I just want a little nibble of yours," he said with a smile.

"Really?" Despite her initial trepidation at sharing her sugary treat, Cameron couldn't help but feel something pleasant sure through her systems. Not only was he treating her like he usually did, but she noted he hadn't so much as glanced at her arm the entire time she'd been in the room…and she had been paying attention the whole time.

Smiling, she decided to test just how much progress he'd made. Also, he hadn't touched her in a while, and she missed the contact, despite the fact she'd only been experiencing it for a relatively short time. Cameron gracefully unfolded her legs from beneath her and sat up, taking care not to let any crumbs drop, after all, she didn't want to piss Sarah off. As carefully as she could, she swung one leg over the mound of the quilt he created with his legs, effectively straddling him. She sank her weight back on to his legs, not her entire weight, and leaned forward, her hair framing her face as it slipped off her shoulders.

John couldn't help but grin as he took the hint as to what she had in mind and decided to indulge her. He laced his hands together behind his head and let his eyes wander over the delightful view she was granting him leaning forward like that. As expected, she brought the pop tart closer to his mouth and he craned his neck just a little to take a bite out of it, a wide grin adorning his lips as he chewed. To his delight, Cameron returned his smile wholeheartedly, a smile that he'd always found beautiful, ever since the first day back in that schoolroom in New Mexico.

As he chewed, he let his head drop back on to the pillow while still grinning like an idiot. He slowly drew his palms higher up her bare thighs as she settled back on her haunches, her weight on his legs bringing an odd sense of comfort. As he marvelled at the impossibly smooth skin under his blistered and battered hands, he watched her take another bite out of her treat and watched him watch her.

The grin faded from his face as his mind drifted to the list he made when he woke up.

"Um, Cameron..." he faltered, trying to sum up the correct words to express how he was feeling without it coming off as sappy.

"Yes John?" She asked, stopping her chewing for a moment.

"Will you promise me something?" He asked, looking up to meet her eyes.

"Of course."

"Promise me you'll take care of yourself out there today. We don't know what sort of ammo these guys are packing, and there isn't much cover at your position."

He paused and sucked in a deep, shaky breath before he continued, his hands still slowly drawing up and down her thighs. "These guys know what you are, they might come prepared for you...I don't want to see you hurt...again."

With that he slowly, holding his breath, raised his arm and took hold of her damaged hand in his own. Cameron watched him, fascinated, as he took her hand in his. She could see he was holding his breath, she could feel his heart hammering in his chest and she could almost sense his trepidation. But he persevered, and she responded in kind, gently wrapping her fingers around his and giving them the lightest of squeezes.

John looked up and smiled, a forced smile, but a smile all the same. In a gesture he'd performed on her many times, Cameron brought his hand up to her lips and lightly kissed his knuckles, bringing a wider smile to his face as he released his held breath. "I promise. I'll be careful."

John nodded, relieved she'd agreed without so much as an argument. His gaze drifted away from his hand and met her eyes where they lingered for a few long seconds. He could've sworn there was a warmth there he'd never quite seen before, not to this extent anyway.

"Good…gimme a kiss."

Cameron's head cocked to the side. It was unusual for her to be asked for a kiss. John's usual style was 'kiss first, ask questions later', so for him to be asking, she knew something wasn't quite all right in John world. She obliged him however as she leaned forward and tentatively pressed her lips to his. Her hair framed both of their faces as the kiss deepened, slowly. John kissed back, his lips dry and coarse compared to her own moist and silken skin. The kiss started out slow, soft, and tentative, neither participant wanting to rush anything, both sensing that urgency was not required, not this time.

Cameron felt John's tongue brush against her lips ever so lightly, asking for access. The corner of her lips tugged upwards slightly as she obliged his request. Despite the fact John didn't like it when she did this, just why he didn't she wasn't sure, she opened her eyes to watch him while they kissed. She could only see his closed eyelids, but it was enough to bring a warm feeling to her CPU, a feeling of contentment. She missed this amount of contact with her John, it was nice to be close to him again.

Her hands came to rest on his chest, just about the same time she felt his hands settle on her slender waist. She could feel his heart beating through her right hand, her systems flashing up all kinds of facts and figures about her lover's physical state. She cancelled all the readouts, but not before taking note of one particularly pleasing aspect. His heart had settled down to a slow, steady rhythmic thump, as opposed to the frantic tempo it was beating at earlier. She took this as a good sign, he wasn't consumed by fear or anxiousness any more. He'd relaxed to the point where he was just her John, apparently enjoying her company, not to mention her gentle ministrations.

But the thought at the back of her mind kept nagging at her. She hadn't come in to his room to make out with him, she'd come in with a reason, and she was at risk of being derailed completely if this went on much longer. That problem became much more apparent when John's hands slid under the hem of her shirt and the sheets press higher up in to her inner thigh.

Placing her hands on top of his to halt their progress, Cameron pulled back from the kiss. John looked up at her, highly confused. As far as he knew things were going great, he was making out with his girlfriend, pretty successfully, and he'd even managed to take hold of her hand without having a panic attack, and that was something profound for him. So why she was stopping he had no clue.

"Cameron?"

"I didn't come here for that."

Obviously confused, John tilted his head and eyed the hand under her shirt pointedly, "Well, you could've fooled me Cameron."

Fighting off the fleeting urge to frown at his less than friendly retort, Cameron gently pulled his hands from her body. "I came here to make sure you're prepared for today."

"Ugh," John commented less than intelligently with a roll of his eyes. "You sound just like Derek." He locked eyes with her for a moment before shaking his head and sliding out from underneath her.

Cameron sat back on the bed and watched him get up and start milling around the bedroom. "But it's important," She continued watching as he merely glanced at her and started getting dressed.

"If you're not ready then we should know, we can handle it without you if you're not up to it." She offered, thoughtfully in her mind.

John meanwhile let out a low growl as he trudged in to the bathroom. "I'll be alright, you just look after yourself," he snapped.

Cameron frowned as he disappeared in to the bathroom, leaving her alone on his bed. She quickly stood and followed after him with a purpose.

"John, that's not fair," she stated as she rounded the door frame and found him hunched over the sink, watching it fill.

He looked up, confused at what she was talking about, "What's not fair? That you come in here and start harping on at me like you're my mother?"

"No," she answered with a scowl not usually used by her, especially when directed at John, but he was pushing it with his confrontational attitude when she was only trying to help him. "It's not fair that you're being protective of me, and yet you get upset with me when I do the same."

John looked back down at the sink, suddenly all of the bluster taken out of his self righteous argument. Before he had a chance to counter, or even accept her argument, she'd spoken again, but not before stepping closer, just to make sure she had his full attention.

"I'm protective of you because…human's are fragile. You're not bulletproof, I am, I'm the one who's supposed to be protective of you, regardless of the way I feel about you." She glanced down at her exposed arm and looked up to find him matching her gaze.

John suppressed a shudder as his eyes scanned over the five main pistons that made up the bones attached to her fingers. Those metal claws could easily crush his windpipe as they had in so many of his nightmares, and yet they belonged to one of the most delicate, at least in his mind, creatures in existence. It made no sense whenever he thought about it logically, but he was protective of her, he was the only one who had and would probably ever see her weak side, her emotional side, her innocent side…the side he loved.

She was an enigma, so strong, so powerful, and yet all he wanted to do was wrap her in cotton wool and protect her from the world. He hated it when she gave no thought to her own self preservation, especially when she was damaged to aid him in some way. It made him feel guilty and hate himself for allowing her to come to harm, despite the fact in the majority of cases there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

And yet, he still insisted on treating her like crap just because she was trying to protect him, because she didn't want him to come to harm, because she cared about him. Feeling like the biggest asshole in the universe, he set down the washcloth he'd picked up earlier and stood to his full height. He slowly took a step closer and reached out to cup her cheeks, pleased beyond measure when she didn't pull away. Her glare however remained intact.

_Well, gotta try something to get rid of that._

He leaned closer and tenderly kissed her lips before pulling back, once again pleased that she'd chosen to kiss him back, and not make it seem like he was kissing a pissed off statue.

"I'm sorry. I should've realised you were just trying to look out for me," he sighed before he continued, making sure he held her eyes with his own. "I was wrong to not think of your feelings before I got all up my own ass thinking you were insulting me."

Cameron paused for a long few seconds, mostly just to make him sweat, before she nodded in his hands, taking a great sense of amusement in his relieved expression. "Okay, but you still haven't answered my question. Are you prepared for today, are you ready?"

Leaning in to drop another kiss on her lips, a slower, lingering kiss this time, John pulled back with a smile. "Yeah, I'm ready. I'll keep my head down, pick my targets, duck when I need to…and I won't do anything stupid."

"Good," Cameron replied with a nod, "I'd hate for something bad to happen because you did something stupid."

* * *

'Your destination is two hundred yards on the left.'

Charley Dixon reached out and flicked his satnav off. He had a rough idea where he was…but he had no clue just why in the hell he was there. Over the past few months since his wife had passed away and Sarah had stashed him in the lighthouse, he'd been keeping off the radar. Only going out when he needed to, avoiding contact with people wherever possible. It was an admittedly dull life, but he'd rather have that over the gruesome alternatives he knew could be awaiting for him should he slip up. The girl Terminator's little demonstration of carving up another machine reminder enough of that fact.

But then, totally out of the blue, he'd been receiving attention from several people asking about John and Sarah, unpleasant people in his opinion. He thought it was odd that Sarah had hung up on him when he'd tried to make contact, in fact, he found it odd that he even had her new number, it'd seemingly appeared from nowhere on to his cell's phonebook one day. But when he'd called her, she said he had the wrong number. Charley could've kicked himself for slipping up like that. Of course she 'didn't know who he was', Sarah was too smart to admit to being who she was.

If he'd really thought it through, he'd have realised at the time that all he was doing was endangering John. He should've just grinned and bared it in order to protect John, not because he was the 'saviour of all mankind', but because he loved the boy like his own son, and he didn't want anything to happen to him.

Then the next day he'd received a visit from the sweetest little girl. He didn't recognise her, but she'd called him by the fake name Sarah had given him so that he'd know when she was trying to communicate, 'Mr. Francies'. After getting over his surprise at hearing the name, and calming his dog down from its encounter with the girl, he'd immediately ripped open the box of cookies only to find a note, written in perfectly formed lettering. Not Sarah or John's writing, and too neat to be Derek's. He guessed the machine had written it, no writing could be that perfect. It was slipped under the plastic cookie tray, of which he noted had more than a few cookies were missing, apparently the girl had a taste for chocolate.

That was another thing that confused him. The last he knew the machine had gone bad, tried to kill John. In his book, that meant it wouldn't be hanging around them much longer, evidently that wasn't the case, and where did this little girl come from too? Charley sincerely hoped Sarah hadn't just bribed some poor girl scout to deliver the note to him, even Sarah couldn't be that callous…could she? But that had to be it, why else would they have an eight year old girl working with them? His dog Indiana hadn't kicked up a fuss around her, meaning she couldn't have been a machine, after all, Sarah had assured him that dogs could detect machines. Anyway, Terminators do not look like sweet little eight year old girls.

The note had simply read:

'Come to the large house just off the coast road a mile North of your location at 6pm tomorrow. Park your vehicle in the clearing and approach on foot, Sarah will be waiting for you.'

It was blunt, it was to the point, and yet he couldn't help but feel like he was being herded like an animal. He didn't like not knowing where he was going, or what he was getting himself in to. But he'd done as instructed so far. He'd left his house with enough time to account for getting lost and he'd arrived a few minutes early. Pulling off the road and applying the brakes to stop from slipping on the rough terrain, he drove down the narrow naturally formed driveway until he reached the clearing he'd been told he would find.

He pulled his truck to a stop midway in to the clearing at the bottom of a fairly steep hill, just of the main drive. Switching the engine off, he reached over in to his passenger seat and picked up the note again. Double checking it, he was certain this was the right place, and yet he saw no signs of Sarah…or of any activity at all. If anybody was here, they were being very careful to hide that fact.

He sucked in a deep breath. He didn't really want to be seeing Sarah, but needs must, and this was for John after all. He'd rather have lived his life in ignorance until the day the supposed bombs would fall, but even that seemed far too pleasant an option whenever Sarah Connor was involved. Pushing open his door, he stepped out of his truck and closed it behind him.

He headed off in the direction he knew the house was in, he couldn't see it due to the thick forest of tall trees blocking his view, but the winding path was his guide. He could've swore an eerie quiet descended over him and the surrounding forest as soon as he stepped out of his car. He couldn't hear any birds tweeting, nor the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. The only sound he could hear were leaves crunching with every agonising footstep.

Whipping his head around faster than it was advisable to do so, he double checked behind him, having the sense that somebody was there with him. It was too quiet, there were too many places to stay out of sight.

Shrugging it off, he picked up his pace and chided himself for behaving like a scared little boy just because the surrounding woods were a bit creepy.

He emerged from the dirt path and the sound of crunching leaves under his feet changed subtly to the sound of gravel crunching. The driveway and parking in front of him in stark contrast to the naturally formed path he'd just traversed. Once again double checking behind him, and once again seeing nothing, he started his climb up the hill. He felt a little better now that he was out in the open and not surrounded by the giant California Redwoods looming over him. In fact, he was feeling so much better the sound of birds and the wind had returned.

_Come on Charley, keep it together._

When he'd made it about two thirds of the way, about two hundred yards to the house the area went silent again…

Sarah stuck her head out over her cover just as she clicked the button on the claymore detonator. She wished she hadn't. She watched as Charley dropped to the ground, his hands covering his head as the anti personnel mines Derek had laid all exploded almost simultaneously. Sarah was dug in about three hundred yards away from them, but even she wished they weren't so damned loud!

She found herself ducking as the clearing was filled with deafening noise and for a moment, blinding light as the tree line went up in flames. She looked down and double checked that Charley was okay. He was moving, that was good enough.

She felt guilty about using him like this, but it was necessary, it was for John. Everything was for John, it had to be, nothing else mattered to Sarah, not even Charley who she cared deeply for.

"Um, Sarah…bad dudes coming through the trees!"

Shaking her head, Sarah glanced down momentarily at Amy before opening up with her mounted M240 machine gun on the tree line, mowing down the guys fortunate enough to have escaped the initial blast from the claymores. She paused firing for a moment, just long enough to make sure that Amy was taking cover beside her. Then she shook her head and resumed firing, cursing herself for allowing herself to think of Amy as the little girl she looked like, and not the bulletproof machine she was.

Derek meanwhile had no qualms about anything other than carrying out his mission - kill as many of the fuckers as he can. Resting the underside of his barrel against the ground, he strafed back and forth across his firing line, trying to take out as many of the guys who'd cleared the woods as he could. The trick he was particularly good at was trying to keep the ones he missed diving for cover instead of charging up the hill and shooting back.

"John? What are you waiting for? Open up!"

John still hadn't bothered to even sit up and turn around to face the battlefield. The way he was clutching his rifle to his chest reminded Derek of the day he just barely managed to avoid being on the receiving end of a nervous bullet from his nephew. As Derek feared, as soon as John had heard the first explosion, he'd frozen…again.

John did eventually move, but only after he heard the distinctive and very loud crack of Derek's Barrett M82 sniper rifle. In Cameron's hands the weapon was downright lethal, and if was that fact that had convinced Derek to allow her to use it at all. He was protective of his guns almost to the extent he was of his truck. John craned his neck to look in the direction of the house as another loud crack rang out.

Finally finding the courage to sit up, John surveyed the battlefield. Bodies were already littering the ground near the tree line, which in itself was smouldering as small fires ignited by the explosion of the claymores slowly climbed their way up the surrounding trees, bathing the area in a hellish glow.

Cameron meanwhile paid no mind to the almost picturesque backing to the carnage beyond the fact that it messed up her thermal imaging. It didn't slow her progress however as she used more traditional methods of visually scanning for her targets. Once she found them, she dispatched them with ruthless efficiency. Any man stupid enough to try and get up off his stomach to make a break for either cover or to attempt to charge the house was quickly dropped back down to the ground, a lot quicker than he got up.

She also made sure she repositioned every few shots so the enemy couldn't get a read on her position. She didn't have to, or want to, it was far more efficient to remain static and take whatever damage came her way, but she was mindful of her promise to John, and the last thing she needed was to be hypocritical in the wake of her little speech in the bathroom.

Charley meanwhile had no clue what was going on short of explosions and guns firing all around him. The explosion had almost knocked him off his feet, the sheer noise louder than pretty much everything his ears had ever had the misfortune of being exposed to. He'd still ended up hitting the dirt anyway. He wasn't stupid, he didn't have to be told that when bullets start flying that it's generally a good idea to keep your head down. It didn't matter who's side you were on, staying out of it was the only option.

But that was then, this was now, and he'd come to the conclusion that his best chance of survival was to try and make for the house. He knew that Sarah, and if not her, then somebody on his side would be in there, he would be safe. Summing up courage he never knew he had, he pushed himself up on to his hands and knees and started to crawl towards the house. He'd made it barely five yards when a couple of rounds dug in to the dirt less than a yard to the left of his head.

He exercised the better part of valour and hunkered down again…maybe staying in his current position was the best idea after all. Looking up, he caught sight of the occasional solitary bark of a weapon from the windows, to his left he saw sustained fire from two weapons, and to his right he saw more from another.

In the machine gun nest to his right, Sarah was so focused on the battle that she barely noticed that Amy had slipped away, the noise of the gun blaring covering her departure.

Amy had been surveying the surroundings when something caught her eye. With a tilt of her head in a manner reminiscent of Cameron and a glance over her shoulder to make sure Sarah was thoroughly distracted, she set off quietly making her way towards the nearby tree line.

Miguel, José and Jesus were lucky, they'd managed to avoid the initial blast of the claymores and the machine gun fire from the crazy lady in the nest on top of the hill they were currently making their way up. All they had to do was clear the trees and drop her, she wouldn't even see them coming. The rustling of dead leaves underneath their feet and the snapping branches by their bodies were easily masked by the noise of the almost constant stream of 7.62 NATO rounds spewing from the mounted heavy weapon.

Miguel stopped for a moment, his hand covering his left ear while Mr. Quinn's voice interrupted his stealthy approach. "I said flank that fucking position already! We're getting torn apart down here!"

"On it boss." Grumbling under his breath about the almost slave driving ways of the Aussie lunatic currently barking orders at him, Miguel swung his rifle up in to position. Motioning for José and Jesus to close the gap behind him, he stepped around a large redwood, ready to take out the bitch currently messing up this job and his fat paycheque. Both he and his men were stopped in their tracks however when they came face to face with the impossible sight of a little girl just standing there behind the tree only a few feet in front of him.

"What the fuck?"

"Hi!" Amy bounced on the balls of her feet, her hands latched behind her back and a gentle sway to her body causing her pigtails to swish around behind her. Her beaming smile in stark contrast to the surroundings, the battle, hell to everything lately.

The three mercenaries had been briefed by Mr. Quinn about what to expect during the supposedly easy job. They'd been told to expect a crazy woman, an equally crazy man, a boy and a pretty girl. They'd been told under no circumstances to underestimate any of them, and all the men in the room had taken the advice and would act upon it. But when they'd been informed about the probable appearance of a little blonde girl and to shoot on sight, more than a few of them had scoffed and discarded the advice as ludicrous.

They were about to wish they'd paid more attention. Amy waited for the barrels of all their rifles to lower away from her just a fraction, before taking less than a split second to allow her body to shimmer and reform in to it's metallic state. Before the men even had a chance to react, three spears had shot out of her mass and pierced the men through their hearts.

It was quick, it was precise, just as Amy had wanted it. Withdrawing the spears and retaking her usual shape, Amy watched as the three men slumped to the ground, dead. Satisfied that none of them had suffered needlessly, Amy double checked the surrounding area for more movement. Satisfied there was none, she started making her way back up to Sarah's position.

"John!" Derek snapped, a little harshly, as he ducked down into the cover of their trench just long enough to try and clear the jam in his M-4. The leaves and dirt littering the ground in every direction weren't helping his chosen weapon's functionality in the slightest, "We've got at least four moving around to flank from the west! Get their fucking heads down before they overrun us!"

For his part, John stared at his uncle for a long moment, eyes unmoving and hands shaking. That was, until Derek reached over and gave him a sharp slap right across the forehead, bouncing his skull off the back of the trench in the process. Unbelievably, the anger the action elicited seemed to jog his brain, allowing him to focus on something besides the rounds streaming past just a few inches above his head.

Letting out a growl, John slipped up from behind the cover of the trench, latching on to the first moving object he caught sight of and letting rip on full auto. Three of the approaching men dove immediately back into the cover of the surrounding redwoods, the last losing his footing on a patch of mud and leaves. Taking a deep breath to steady his aim, John emptied the rest of his mag chasing the son of a bitch back to the tree line.

Having finally cleared his breach and reloaded, Derek sprung into action just inches off John's right shoulder, a quick burst dropping two men his nephew hadn't even noticed approaching from the southwest, sending their bodies rolling back down the hill towards the men he'd driven back into cover. Luckily for them, but not as much for their attackers, the primed grenade one had been carrying taking out at least one of the men, and from the sound of the screams, wounding the others.

Scanning the battlefield with practiced efficiency, Derek paused only long enough to activate his radio, "Cameron, how many we dealing with?"

"Sixteen." There was a short pause, the radio carrying a loud echo as her sniper rifle barked out another round, and Derek could practically see the smile on her face when she amended her tally, "Fifteen."

In the process of relocating to a new firing position, Cameron finally allowed herself to ask the question she'd wanted to for the last ten minutes, "Is John okay?"

"He hasn't hit anything yet," Grumbling to himself, Derek had to shake his head while trying to 'encourage' the wounded men still trying to flank them to go back down the damn hill, "But other than that, yeah, he's just fine!"

Cameron caught herself breathing a very human sigh of relief before stepping out from behind the cover of the wall and scanning for fresh targets. A small squad seemed to be advancing from the still-flaming tree line, but her line of sight was blocked out momentarily as Charley rose to his feet, apparently deciding to make a run for it.

Just as Cameron was about to shift her position, the man went down, hard, clutching at his arm and screaming obscenities the cyborg had never heard from the normally pleasant former medic.

"Charley has been hit." Rattling off the information like she was commenting on the weather, Cameron used the opportunity presented by him clearing her line of sight to fire off another round, "Fourteen."

"What?" For the first time since the battle had begun, John's brain seemed to be functioning clearly, even if his words were a bit frantic, "Charley got hit? Where? Is he alive?"

Beside him, Derek had to restrain himself from smacking John upside the head again. After all, it might dislodge the kid's helmet, "Does it fucking matter? Just keep shooting!"

Scowling up at his uncle, John ignored him while focusing on the problem at hand, "Cameron... is he alright?"

"He's moving." Unknowingly, his girlfriend was mimizing his scowl some two hundred yards away, not understanding why John would be focusing on this of all things in the middle of a battle, "But not much."

Just as he was about to respond, John was interrupted when Sarah's voice cut in over the radio, barely audible over the sound of the sustained machine gun fire she was still spraying down the hillside, "John! Stay focused, you can't afford to lose concentration!"

"Fuck that!" John could barely believe what he was hearing. It seemed like he was the only person in their 'family' who gave a damn about the fact they'd put an innocent man directly in the crosshairs of trained killers. "We were supposed to be helping Charley, not getting him killed! Cameron, you're closest, can you get to him? Pull him behind some cover?"

When Cameron finally got around to responding, she actually sounded quite offended by her boyfriend's apparent willingness to put Charley's wellbeing over her own, "Not without compromising this position... or getting hit repeatedly."

Despite the fact he had been too frightened to even fight back just a minute ago, John found himself standing tall in the trench, looking down the hill towards his almost step-father, who was now trying to crawl towards the house while hugging the ground.

Sucking in a quick breath, John could only shake his head, the decision made before he even stopped to consider it, "Derek... cover me!"

Before the older man could stop him, or even offer a word in edgewise, John had shoved himself up and out of the firing trench. It was an odd sensation, for the first time actually feeling rounds whiz past him in practically every direction, but all John could think of was Charley Dixon sprawled out on the dirt and leaves, bleeding to death.

Derek could do little beyond shouting obscenities at him while doing the best he could to cover him. It was a hell of a time for the kid to finally grow a pair - just when he needed those self-preservation instincts the most.

About that time, Cameron spotted movement near the centre of the clearing. Rather oddly, the man in the centre of the approaching formation didn't have a rifle, merely a .45 caliber pistol in his right hand, a radio in his left as he surveyed the clearing like an officer trying to coordinate the battle.

Quickly deducing he must have been the one directing the attacking troops, most-likely a high ranking member of Vasquez's organisation, Cameron shifted her sights over to him without the slightest hesitation. Her HUD calculating every aspect of the shot in a fraction of a second, she was just about to squeeze the trigger when Derek began screaming at John over the open radio channel, informing the rest of them he had decided to break cover and was now sprinting down the hill toward Charley.

Glancing over in the direction of their firing position, sure enough, she spotted her boyfriend emerging from the tree line behind the house, not even bothering to lay down suppressive fire while on a dead sprint for his target.

Unfortunately, this meant Cameron had a split-second decision to make, the man in her sights fixing his gaze on John, an arm raising to point directly at him while yelling into his radio. Of course John was the primary target, the rest of them meant little to the future, to the machine deity that Vasquez and his men seemed determined to protect at all costs.

In the end, there was no choice, Cameron shifting the barrel of her sniper rifle a few inches to the right, dropping the first of the men training his sights in John's direction.

Clearing the tree line on a full sprint, John had only seconds to assess the situation degenerating around him. The trees on the opposite side of the clearing were still ablaze, bathing the entire area in a hellish glow, but luckily enough it also provided him more than enough light to see what was going on.

A small squad was trying to advance, dropping one at a time while Cameron apparently picked them off with practiced efficiency, the rest unloading in his direction with obvious intent. Still, he wasn't about to let the rounds slapping into the earth around his boots to slow him down.

Catching sight of Charley, sprawled out a mere sixty yard short of the house, John doubled down, ignoring the burning in his lungs and legs as he shifted direction for the fallen man.

"You have got to be... dammit!" Much like her son, Sarah wasn't one for hesitation, especially when John was in danger. Cameron was efficient, but she was saddled with a single-shot sniper rifle. On the other hand, Sarah's M240 could lay down some serious hurt.

Slapping the bi-pod up underneath the barrel, the elder Connor vaulted over the log she'd been using for cover, immediately shouldering her weapon and laying down a thick blanket of fire at the men approaching her son while marching steadily closer, heedless to the prime target she was presenting in the process.

If Amy had been human, she'd have choked on her tongue at the sight of the idiot she was supposed to be protecting pulling a stunt like she was. Not only was she out there with no cover, but she was walking slowly across the battlefield.

Then to top it all off, she, or rather the weapon in her hands was making more noise than bonfire night. She may as well have plastered a neon lit sign above her head that read 'shoot me'.

After a long few seconds of wide eyed gaping at the human's stupidity, Amy steeled herself. She didn't want to go out there, but she was pretty sure she had to, otherwise she didn't want to have to face up to the guilt of letting Sarah throw her life away.

Cursing her little legs, she quickly shifted forms in to her eel like state and slithered off down the hill towards Sarah, intent on at least trying to intercept as many bullets as she could, despite fact that the thought of being shot at terrified her beyond belief.

Though he hadn't fired a single round on his entire sprint across the battlefield, even John wasn't stupid enough to turn his back on armed men just a stone's throw down the hill from him.

He wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of taking life, but found it was a little easier to live with when the people in question had not only shot Charley, but were clearly targeting him.

Dropping into a baseball slide fifteen yards short of Charley, John fired off a quick succession of bursts from his M-16 while sliding quickly down the hill, surprisingly enough dropping the two men closest to him in the process.

In one fluid move he shifted to rifle to his right hand, rolling onto his stomach and shoving himself back to his feet with the left, snagging Charley under the armpit and trying to drag him back up the hill, "You alright? Charley?"

Sensing their opportunity the complete the mission, and get the hell out of there and get paid, the few remaining survivors still lingering in the trees below the clearing rushed forward following an order barked over the radio. Not one of them noticed however as the man responsible for issuing the order made a beeline back towards the vehicles they'd arrived in, intent on saving his ass to fight another day, not to mention avoid the inevitable visit from the authorities.

The man farthest up the hill, and therefore closest to John was just setting himself to unload in the direction of the boy they'd been told was their main target when the left side of his head erupted in a red-ish grey cloud. If he were still alive, he'd have heard Derek let out a pretty passable war cry as he too came charging down the hill, following the same path as John had moments ago. He was doing his level best to drive the other mercenaries back with sustained weapons fire.

"Cameron, can you get to John?"

Little did Derek know, but Cameron had abandoned her position long before he even asked, using the respite he'd created to the fullest effect and was now moving down the hill towards John's position. The rifle that was almost as tall as her shouldered as she scanned the battlefield for targets.

Her equivalent of a red mist descended upon her as she took aim and squeezed the trigger. She watched with a distinct, and if she'd been thinking clearly, a disturbing sense of satisfaction as another man's head was reduced to little more than shredded, flying meat in her sights.

Having dropped to a knee just long enough to slap a fresh ammo box from the pack on her back into the M240, Sarah was back on her feet a second later, re-shouldering the weapon and storming in from the advancing soldiers' flank, dropping no less than five with a sustained fire that left the barrel of her machine gun glowing bright in the darkness. "Cameron! Get him the hell out of here!"

She had little to worry about though, the last three survivors were already sprinting away from the battle as quickly as their legs could carry them. Now that their leadership wasn't standing behind them with a very real gun to the back of their heads, the idea of a last suicidal charge up the hill seemed a little less intelligent.

John wasn't aware of any of this though, still dragging Charley towards the house and it's perceived cover, just hoping the man was still alive when they got there.

Cameron intercepted him mid way, wordlessly shoving him unceremoniously down to one knee as she took up a position between him and the tree line, trying to use her body to shield him from any possible harm. She knew the remnants of the force were retreating, but she she couldn't take any chances at all, not with her John.

"What the hell?" Staying on a knee, John shouldered his M-16, using the opportunity to pop a fresh magazine into the receiver and scanning the burning trees for targets, "Get Charley to the bikes!"

Derek skidded to a halt just beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder to make sure his nephew stayed down, for once he was in total agreement with Cameron. "We clear?" He asked, still scanning the tree line with his rifle raised.

"Yes," Came Cameron's succinct reply as she too continued confirming her answer with her rifle aimed at the tree line.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Shoving Derek's hand off his shoulder with a growl, John tossed the strap of his M-16 over his right shoulder and resumed trying to drag Charley, this time with both hands, "He's bleeding out!"

"John, open your fucking eyes!" Derek managed to resist the urge to slap him again, "It's a graze, a flesh wound. He must've hit his head when he went down or something."

Letting go and pulling himself up to his full height, John was just about to start screaming back about them leaving Charley in the middle of a battlefield, when Sarah stormed into the fray looking more pissed off than he could remember seeing her in a very long time.

"What were you thinking, John? You could have been killed! They were gunning for YOU!" Spinning just as quickly towards Derek, Sarah's anger actually seemed to get the better of her, shoving the man back a few feet, "And you! You were supposed to watch him!"

Derek, not intimidated in the slightest turned to face Sarah, "Hey, the kid sprinted off down the fucking hill, what did you want me to do? Chase after him or cover him?" He shook his head, there was no way in hell he was catching the blame for this.

Cameron meanwhile spoke without ever removing her eyes from the tree line, "We should go, the authorities will be here soon."

"We're not finished with this." Sarah sighed harshly, knowing Cameron is right, and right now she's the only person she isn't angry with, "You did good Cameron."

Cameron's eyes momentarily moved away from the rifle scope in surprise. The last thing she'd been expecting was for Sarah to agree with her, much less compliment her.

However just as quickly as her eyes left the scope, they returned, she wasn't about to blow it all now by allowing her focus to slip.

"He's waking up."

Amy's voice broke the entire family out of their stupor as four heads turned to find her crouching over a dazed and confused looking Charley.

Sarah marched over, looking down at Charley with a slight tilt of her head, both hands still cradling her machine gun, "Can you walk?"

Charley for his part was barely managing to keep from losing his stomach, much less able to form a coherent thought or answer. "Sarah? Wh, what's going on?"

"We don't have time for this." Even Sarah wasn't sure if her attitude was because of the fact the cops would be here any minute, or because she simply couldn't face Charley right now, knowing what they'd just done to him, "Derek, get him to the bikes. Cameron, escort John. No one relaxes until we're back at home."

Despite the relative lack of danger at that point, everyone was still in battle mode. Derek snapped to and grabbed Charley's upper arm and began to haul him up off the ground and back towards the house. Parked out back were their getaway vehicles of choice, ATV's, a particularly brilliant suggestion of Cameron's if Derek did say so himself.

Once they were out of view, Cameron backed up and almost, almost reached out and did the same as Derek had done and grabbed John by his arm. At the last moment she stopped herself and instead turned to face him for a split second, "John, head to the ATV's, I'll watch your back..and I'll be right behind you."

John couldn't stop his eyes from rolling. He couldn't believe the reactions of everyone around him - yes he'd done something risky, but it had paid off. They were all alive, only Charley was wounded, and they'd wiped out the men attacking them. "They're all gone, or dead, Cameron. Come on."

"John!" If John hadn't known her as well as he did, he'd have sworn she sounded irritated, "go, now, please don't argue with me."

"Jeez, fine... mom." Stepping up on the other side of Charley, John decided to help Derek guide the man towards the bikes. At least that way he could be of some use.

Sarah silently observed the exchange while keeping her eyes trained on the trees, just incase anybody decided to do something stupid. She'd never see anything but bliss from her son and his future bride since she'd found out about the relationship. Either they were careful to hide their interactions from her, or it was a rare occurrence, but she was certain that Cameron was pissed with her son.

Despite all her years of experience, all her training, her knowledge at fighting Skynet, even she had her doubts about whether her son could win this fight, despite the fact the enemy was indeed in love with him, whether she knew it yet or not.

Falling in to step behind them, Sarah couldn't help but reach out a hand to guide Amy away from the battlefield as she seemed transfixed by the sight they were leaving. It served as an unpleasant reminder to the mini machine that humans were indeed fragile, that her Sarah was fragile.

They were all, so very fragile.

* * *

**Huge, huge thank to Dekardkain, without whom this chapter would never have seen the light of day. Check out his story 'Becoming John Connor', it's pretty good!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi,**

**Thanks to reviewers JustJoe, sumofme, lje100smith, olischulu, uncommoner, Mouse56, XxDeathStarxX, EvilTheLast, Jaing Li, darkfinder, Nyrki, Lsquare, morded, Lee and CloudyShadows.**

* * *

"Owww!"

"Sorry."

Charley glared up at the girl, no, cyborg, he mentally corrected himself. While he couldn't fault her technique at patching up the graze on his arm, she had a lot to learn about the merits of being gentle with a patient.

On the journey back home, or rather, to the Connor's new home, he'd been filled in on what had happened. Once he'd fully regained consciousness that was, the fall after he'd been shot almost instantly knocking him out.

To put it mildly, he was pissed.

He'd been used, he'd been abused and as far as he was able to tell, John was the only one who saw any problem with that. However, Charley wasn't the type of man to lash out in anger, at least, not with somebody who didn't deserve it. As far as he was concerned, Cameron wasn't to blame, as far as he knew she, it, was just doing it's job.

When she finished up bandaging his wound and double checking everything was to her satisfaction, Cameron stood back up to her full height and walked towards the kitchen sink.

"You need to eat. Have whatever you prefer, this kitchen is fully stocked," it took a long few seconds, and an odd look from Charley before she spoke again. "Bon appetit," she added, very much as an afterthought.

Unable to totally suppress a smirk, Charley stood and made his way to one of the cupboards and watched as Cameron twisted the cold tap to full and started scrubbing her hands. He couldn't blame her, they were covered in his blood after all.

"But not the pop tarts, they're mine," she cautioned barely a moment after he'd touched the door handle.

Turning his head to the side, his expression read 'really?', but the look of 'don't mess with me' on her face cancelled out any reply he might've been ready to give. Turning back to the cupboard, a thought occurred to him, "Uh, would you like one now?"

Cameron slowed the motion of her undamaged hand over her metal one under the stream of water as the question took her by surprise. She barely knew anything of Charley besides the background research she'd performed the first time she'd met him and what she'd managed to glean from John. She knew from John that he was a caring man, but she never thought he'd stop and ask her if she wanted a snack.

"Yes…thank you," she answered with a small smile as she resumed scrubbing her hands.

Sure enough as Charley opened the cupboard, there was a box of pop tarts. Smiling, he snagged the box off the shelf and walked over to the counter to pop one in the toaster. When that was done, he began pulling out the ingredients he'd need for his sandwich. He couldn't help but wince however as he glanced over towards the sink.

"What happened?" At Cameron's questioning look, he nodded towards her exposed hand.

Cameron's gaze averted down to her hands as she twisted the tap off and grabbed a nearby towel to dry them off. "The synthetic skin was removed from my hand," she explained.

Rolling his eyes, Charley cast aside how stupid he felt having a casual conversation with Cameron, the metal monster he'd last seen trying to kill John and Sarah. "Yeah, I can see that. I meant, how'd it happen."

"I needed to perform a closer inspection of the damage to my hand."

That was apparently the end of the discussion as Charley watched her discard the cloth and take up a position near the entrance to the living room. She seemed to be attempting to listen in to the conversation going on next door. He idly wondered why she wasn't out there and was babysitting him in here. Seeing as he was going to get nothing more out of her, he set about making his sandwich. His arm stung like hell, but he thought he may as well make the best of it, the fridge was surprisingly well stocked by Sarah Connor standards.

He kept glancing up, and each time Cameron hadn't moved, she just stood near the doorway, her head tilting to the side at odd intervals.

Finally his prayers were answered as the toaster pinged to end the uncomfortable silence, "Uh, your supper's ready."

Cameron turned away from her eavesdropping, unable to school her features enough for Charley not to notice the frown on her face. He served up her pop tart on to a plate along with his sandwich and sat down at the table, sliding her plate across to her. Cameron sat down and accepted it, pulling it closer with a half hearted, appreciative smile.

Charley took a bite out of his sandwich and watched as she didn't. Instead she looked…pensive, thoughtful. Despite the fact he was starting to grow insanely uncomfortable, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the clearly unhappy cyborg.

"Are you gonna eat that, or just sit there looking miserable?"

He said it through a grin, but was actually half serious. He watched as she glared at him momentarily before picking up her snack and taking a small bite and placing it back down on the plate carefully.

_Alright, progress. Well done Charley._

Well, he thought it was progress, but then the pair settled in to another spell of uncomfortable silence, uncomfortable for him anyway. He settled in to eat his sandwich, occasionally glancing up to find her staring off in to space as she slowly chewed her pop tart. It was eerie, she looked…zoned out.

"Uh, are you alright?" He asked, out of sheer curiosity more than anything.

She looked up, as if noticing him for the first time, "I'm fine."

"Well you don't look fine. You look like you're pissed at babysitting me out here, you look like you wanna be out there with John and the others."

Cameron found it odd that the human sitting near her was able to converse with her so easily, without fear of any reaction on her part. Despite the fact he knew who and what she was, he didn't fear her. If she took the time to run an analysis, his actions would've appeared paternal, to an extent. Deciding that it was safe to discuss the situation with him, Cameron placed her treat down on the plate and looked up at him, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"I'm…disturbed. Today's events did not go according to plan."

Charley nodded, he could certainly sympathise with her on that one, after all, he was fairly sure it wasn't the plan for him to get shot. "So, why are you out here and not in there?"

"My presence isn't required in there. The discussions are between them. I'll speak to John later…alone," she said with a finality as she picked up her snack again and took a bite. It was curious, the food held little to no nutritional value, but ever since Sarah had made her one that morning, she found herself desiring more. She should've been consuming foods high in protein to aid in her regeneration, but the sugary treat was something she found she enjoyed, regardless of nutritional value.

"So I guess you two made up then."

His statement caught her slightly off guard, knocking her from her musings about tasty nourishment with the non-sequitur. "I don't understand."

"Well," Charley paused, trying to work out how best to word his explanation without offending the unpredictable cyborg. "Last time I saw you, no offence, you were trying to kill John and Sarah," he paused and gauged her reaction, "he must've forgiven you…right?"

Cameron frowned as she set her pop tart down on the plate. She did not need to be reminded of her actions on John's birthday. It was like a silent agreement in the house that they rarely, if ever discussed that day. It tended to be reserved for intimate discussion between her and John, as he was the only one who truly understood what had happened to her that day, and he knew it wasn't intentional on her part.

"Yes, John has forgiven me, we enjoy each other's company now."

"Wait," Charley eyed the cyborg warily, suddenly taking a keen interest in what she had to say. In fact, from the look on her face, he was pretty sure she was hiding something, something important, something about John, and he knew that look, the way her synthetic eyes almost sparkled whenever she spoke of John, despite how carefully schooled the rest of her face was. "Are you…are you and John?" He nodded his head side to side, hoping she'd get his meaning.

In fact she did, and it impressed her that he was able to pick up on it just by the few words she'd spoken. More impressive however was the fact he didn't seem to be angry, just genuinely curious. "Yes, we're…" she nodded her head, mimicking Charley, apparently 'in a relationship' wasn't to be said.

Charley sat back in his chair, the wind taken right out of his sails. He eyed the cyborg with a half grin tugging at his lips, proud of himself for his almost Sherlock Holmes like deduction abilities. "Since when?"

Again, Cameron was surprised that he sounded more curious than anything else, "A few weeks." She'd quickly learned that humans weren't appreciative of knowing things right down to the minutes and seconds. At first she'd just assumed that her reciting of seconds was over the top, then she'd quickly worked out that in situations like this it was usually best just to be vague.

"Wow," Charley leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table, "I guess he really did, like you, like you," again, he nodded side to side.

Cameron found the man's need to speak in code a highly detrimental character trait, annoying even, "Explain."

Chuckling, he sat back in his seat again, "Well, a long time ago when we first met, I asked John if he, you know, liked you…in that way."

Allowing herself a small smile, Cameron thought back to the first time she'd met Charley, Derek almost died and she got to prove just how much of a scary robot she was.

"I mean he denied it of course, but I never really believed him. The kid is a terrible liar."

"It's one of his more endearing qualities," Cameron stated, now allowing herself to open up with regards to her and John, despite the fact Charley was mostly a stranger to her. But John trusted him, that was all it took.

"So you and him are…you know?" Once again, he nodded side to side.

Just how Cameron was supposed to keep up with the man's code she didn't know. His constant need to avoid saying the things he meant would stand him in no stead in the future, especially after the bombs dropped and it was either communicate or die. She neglected to mention this however and merely smiled and nodded, assuming he was referring to sex.

"Oh, so you're…you know?"

_Way to go Charley, did you just ask a freaking cyborg if she is all woman?_

As Charley mentally kicked himself, Cameron went through a similar thought process. Putting aside the fact that it would normally be a deeply personal question, she reminded herself of the fact that the man was likely just curious, that curiosity was in all likelihood born out of concern for John.

"You seem interested, why?" Cameron asked, deftly changing the subject, frankly because she couldn't formulate an answer that wasn't blunt enough to not embarrass the man.

"Well, uh," Charley leaned forward in his seat again. "Look, I love John, he's like a son to me. I just wanna know about whatever is going on in his life. If you're…a part of that now, then I guess I want to know all about that too."

At her quirked brow, he amended his statement, "Well, not _all_ about you," he corrected with a smirk.

"You're concerned about his safety," Cameron observed.

"Of course I am," Charley said as he stood with his now empty plate, "Like I said, he's like a son to me."

Cameron paused for a moment, silently observing the man sitting across the table from her. He'd agreed to give the others some space, despite his understandable anger. He'd made her a snack. He'd treated her like a person, to an extent. He claimed to care for and love John, and Cameron was inclined to believe him. He was a nice man, and she could see why both John and Sarah cared for him as much as they did.

"Excellent, John needs all the friends he can get…I'm sorry for us having to put you in this situation, however you must realise that John is more important than all of us." Cameron stood from the table and collected both of their plates and deposited them in the sink.

Charley watched her quietly, her movements carried so much grace that if it weren't for her exposed arm screaming at him in the face that she was different, he'd have believed she'd been a dancer in a previous life. However her words struck him as odd, the girl was clearly devoted to John, but there was something more, something he knew wasn't possible, wasn't right. The machine was in love with John, whether she was aware of it or not, he was sure he was right.

Smiling just a little, Charley watched as she made her way to another cupboard and dug around for a second. She emerged holding a chocolate bar in its wrapper. "You're still hungry?"

Cameron looked up from her prize, "No, but the more I eat, the faster this heals," she nodded to her arm.

"You really like chocolate don't you?" Charley asked as he stood and made his way over to her, "Will you promise me something?"

Cameron tilted her head and focused her full attention on the man, it felt like the least she could do. "If I can."

"Protect John. Even if he doesn't want protecting, you make sure you keep him alive…" Charley trailed off, leaving it at that, hoping the machine would pick up on his desire for the conversation to end.

She did, once again having to use her admittedly limited behavioural knowledge to interpret what he was telling her. She nodded her agreement and watched as he smiled appreciatively and held out his arm, motioning in the direction of the living room.

"Ladies first," he said with a smile.

* * *

Derek flopped back in to the recliner and kicked his feet up. Nursing a well earned beer, he surveyed the room and the people surrounding him. He was tired, sore, and crashing from the adrenaline rush of the battle, but in his mind it all turned out pretty well. They'd killed a shitload of Vasquez's men, sent a message to him that they knew what he was doing and that they were one step ahead. Hell, they even managed to get Dixon out alive.

Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile a little.

John meanwhile had taken up a similar position to Derek on the couch. He was feeling the similar soreness, tiredness and the lack of adrenaline was doing a number on him. He just REALLY wanted his bed and he idly wondered why they weren't all in bed right then and there. Snuggling his head backwards on one of the couch cushions, his eyelids were just starting to droop when he heard a small voice from across the room.

"Awww, Rambo is tired."

Amy certainly had a knack of saying the wrong thing, because her innocent little comment was apparently all it took to send both Sarah and a suddenly pissed off looking Derek flying off the reservation. They both stared at Amy for just a moment before the entire room became a blur of motion. Sarah pounced on John from her position standing near the window, almost tripping over Derek on the way, that caused him to stand, believing her to be blaming him for the incidents of the day. Both ended up looming over John like genuine parents scolding there child.

"Hey," Derek was the first to speak, feeling more than a little defensive, after all, it was HIS job keep John safe during the fight. "No one told 'Rambo' here to go charging down the hill in to enemy fire. Everything was going just fine until he got that hair up his ass."

"Is that what you were thinking John? Like it was some sort of movie?" John's eyes bounced over to his mother who had barely waited long enough for Derek to finish before she took over and rounded on her son. "Don't you realise how much danger you were in?"

"That would require thinking," Derek rolled his eyes, "thinking obviously wasn't part of the process. How many times have I told you to follow orders John? Obviously I haven't made you dig enough trenches yet."

"Fuck digging! You'll end up in a six foot deep trench if you pull any shit like that again!"

"You're lucky to be alive John, and you'd better thank your lucky stars for your little girlfriend." Derek shook his head, trying not to look disgusted, "If it wasn't for her you'd have about a dozen holes in you right now, and not even Dixon could patch you up after that."

Realising, mostly from John's dazed expression that it was doing no good both herself and Derek berating him at the same time, Sarah stepped back, hopeful the boy's uncle could drill some sense in to him. She was still fuming, but she had a feeling John would listen to the male authority in his life more than her.

John looked up with a tilt of his head. He'd barely been able to make out a lot of what was said in amongst the berating from both his uncle and his mother. He didn't bother to reply, after all, he'd been expecting this, despite the fact he fully believed he'd done a good job. Apparently others disagreed.

Derek, realising that John wasn't paying much attention, and as Amy had pointed out, he looked exhausted, decided that he'd best get everything out of the way quickly. After all, he felt the distinct desire to get the hell out of there, preferably to Jessica's, to curl up with her and sleep off the days exertions.

"So…you got anything to say about all this?"

John, despite the tense situation closed his eyes and let his head rest on the cushion, "Is Charley alright?"

"He'll live." Derek shook his head, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "That was a stupid fucking move John…but you're gonna have to make a few of those before you learn it for yourself I guess."

John opened his eyes, replaying his words through his head just to make sure he'd heard him correctly, "What?"

"You didn't freeze," Derek explained with a shrug, "You made a call, you stood by it, and…you did alright."

"WHAT?" Sarah yelled as she practically leapt across the room, "Are you fucking insane? Don't encourage him!"

"This is the first time we've seen anything from him that even remotely resembles the man he's supposed to be!" Derek spun around, quickly forgetting about John as soon as Sarah took it upon herself to get up in his face. "Did it ever occur to you that this constant fucking nagging about protecting his own ass at all costs is why he's too afraid to even breathe in a firefight?"

John was just about to sputter out a defence for himself, despite the fact it was in many ways a compliment when Sarah cut him off abruptly, "If he dies, we all die. What part of that aren't you getting?"

"What? You think he's gonna go through the entire war without a scratch?" Derek rolled his eyes, ignorant of just how much that pissed Sarah off, but in all honesty he was beyond caring, he just wanted to get the hell out of there and go see Jessica. She'd kiss it and make it all better for him, "Your son leads from the front, Sarah! Get fucking used to it or get out of the fucking way!"

Sarah's eyes widened, more in question than shock or surprise. She wasn't used to being spoken to like that by anyone, usually her word was law, especially when it came to her son. Deciding that Derek wasn't budging, she shifted her attention to easier prey…John. "You call that leading from the front? It was more like suicide!"

"Funny, he seems alive to me." With a sight, Derek set his beer down on the table, "You've got my cell if you need me."

That was all he said before he left, heading for the front door. Sarah watched him leave, still fuming at his flippant attitude and pissed at knowing full well he was scurrying away to be with his little girlfriend. Without warning, she rounded on John again, startled from her thoughts when Derek slammed the door behind him.

"John! Look at me!" Sarah continued on with her berating undeterred, despite Derek's word and swift exit, "Do you realise how close you came out there? Haven't I taught you anything?"

John glanced up at his mother, levelling his impatient gaze at her. "Come on mom…this whole thing was your idea remember? YOU put Charley out there, not me."

"I'm not the one who decided to run out in front of fifty guys with assault rifles!" Sarah ranted, waving her arms around in random directions.

John meanwhile simply stood up from the couch, ignoring her telling off. He was in no mood, he was filthy, tired and just wanted to go to bed and deal with all this shit in the morning. "I'm filthy, I'm tired, I'm going to bed."

Before he'd even taken a full step, Sarah moved closer and continued yelling, "I'm not kidding John, you are in so much trouble young man!"

Sarah realised what she'd said even before John had turned around to glare at her. She'd lost her cool and slipped back in to mommy mode, something she shouldn't have done and she knew it. She stood and waited for his reaction, expecting him to lash out at her comment.

Instead of reacting like she expected, he merely quirked a brow in a clear 'are you serious?' look. "Fine, ground me then. But I'm going upstairs and I'm going to bed."

Sarah watched as her son stalked towards the stairs, "John…" She sounded resigned, almost apologetic, but she was still simmering beneath her restrained exterior. She was still furious with him.

"Don't…just don't." He frowned and leaned on the banister, "I may not know everything I need to about being a leader…but I do know who I am. If you were trying to raise someone that would have left Charley to die…you failed."

Sarah's eyes bulged almost out of her head as she watched him depart and disappear up the stairs, unable to summon up the words to reply to him as a red mist descended over her eyes. How could he speak to his own mother like that? How dare he?

She whirled around, subconsciously searching for someone or something to take her anger out on. She found Amy sitting there on the couch, her little legs dangling off the edge and not a hair out of place smiling sweetly up at her.

"Uh, you look like you need to sit down Sarah." Amy said sweetly.

"Don't you fucking tell me to sit down! I don't need your advice or your help!" She glared down at the girl who seemed to shrink under her tirade. Unable to stand still, Sarah settled for pacing back and forth in front of the couch, clenching and unclenching her fists. "Where the hell were you during all of this anyways? I thought you and John were 'friends' in the future? Where were you huh?" Sarah snapped harshly.

"Well, I was busy protecting you. You know, doing my job!" Amy grinned in reply, trying to get Sarah to calm down and loosen up. It looked like the pulsing vein in her forehead was on the verge of popping.

"Protecting me from what?" Sarah tossed up her hands in frustration, it seemed like the only people in the house who realised just how important John was was herself and Cameron. "They were targeting John!"

"Well, there were these three guys…" Before Amy had a chance to finish her story, Sarah cut her off again with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"I don't care! John is who you should be protecting." Sarah looked totally at the end of her rope, "Why am I the ONLY one who understands that?"

At that moment, both Charley and Cameron emerged from the kitchen, Cameron worked on unwrapping her chocolate bar as she walked. Her exposed hand wasn't really designed for subtlety after all. She barely noticed the scene before her, her attention only taken away from the wrapper when she heard Charley's raised voice beside her.

"Sarah, what the hell? I know you're worried about John but that's no excuse to take it out on a little girl!"

Charley of course had no idea that the little angel sitting on the couch wasn't what she appeared to be. He felt a pang of sympathy when she whined at Sarah, "Yeah…I saved you," she pointed out, feeling more than a little put out over Sarah's apparent anger towards her.

"It's alright kiddo." Charley reached over and ruffled Amy's hair in just the way he didn't know she hated, "Why don't you go up to your room so Sarah and I can talk, okay?"

Amy looked up at him, feeling more than a little pissed that Charley, a total stranger was being nicer to her than her Sarah was. Resigning herself to defeat, and respecting Charley's wishes, she slipped off the couch and trudged off towards the stairs, glaring at Sarah the whole way, even throwing in a sniffle for good measure once she was out of sight.

Cameron used the opportunity to bounce her gaze between the two squabbling humans, "Where's John?" She inquired.

"Upstairs, probably in his room," Sarah answered with a barely restrained annoyance. She watched as Cameron disappeared in the same direction as Amy, seemingly oblivious or ignorant of what was going on.

"What the hell is wrong with you Sarah? Screaming at John for doing the right thing, taking your anger out on that little girl." He shook his head, running the fingers of his uninjured arm through his short-cropped hair, "What's gotten in to you?"

"What's gotten in to me?" Sarah asked incredulously, slightly startled when he suddenly started yelling in her direction, "What's wrong with you, trying to get up and run for the house like that? You should've stayed down and none of this would've happened."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Charley felt his anger that had slowly ebbed away during his chat with Cameron returning, "maybe if someone had TOLD ME about the plan, I could've cooperated."

"You weren't a part of this plan, all you had to do was keep your fucking head down."

"I wasn't part of this plan?" Charley sounded just as incredulous as Sarah had been, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you just used me as fucking bait!"

That was just about the first time Sarah had ever heard Charley curse. The man was as softly spoken as they come, and yet it didn't phase her. "I used you to get the job done. It would've worked too if you hadn't ran for the house like a total idiot. John would never have been at risk if it wasn't for you!"

"I had to run! Laying there got me shot!" He pointed to his bandaged arm to emphasise his point. "They know where I live Sarah! What am I supposed to do now? Where am I supposed to go?"

"You think I give a damn?" Sarah took a moment to suck in a deep breath and at least try to calm herself down, "You can stay here for the night, more if you need to."

With a sigh, Charley dropped down on to the couch and wondered just when Sarah, the woman he once loved had become so heartless. "Thanks," he answered, sounding less than grateful.

Reaching behind him and pulling the blanket off the back of the couch, he set about getting himself bedded down for the night, "Is there something you needed?"

"No," with that, Sarah stalked off towards the stairs, flicking the lights off on her way, plunging the living room and Charley in to darkness as she departed.

* * *

"You bitch! How could you do that to your BFF?"

Jessica screamed at her TV, irate beyond words that the fictional character on the show she was watching had started an affair with her best friend's boyfriend, the cute guy, the nice guy. How dare she seduce the poor guy like that, he was only human. The bitch!

As she shoved another slice of takeout pizza in her mouth, she picked up her cellphone and double checked the screen for any messages. Finding none, she huffed around her pizza and turned her attention back to the screen.

Her 'Daddy Daughter Day' had gone well, or at least as well as she'd hoped. He complimented her dress, and actually managed to go for three full hours with his cell phone turned off, his attention fully focused on her for a change. She enjoyed it immensely, despite the fact he had to dash away for an emergency meeting. Having quickly said his goodbyes, he disappeared, leaving her in her apartment all alone again.

She missed Derek.

Her poor mood had led to her indulging in some 'reality' TV and ordering some pizza to stuff her face as full as it could get. She'd curled up on the couch as soon as it had arrived, clad in a loose fitting pair of cotton yoga pants and a Hello Kitty shirt and promptly shut her brain off in order to process the unadulterated crap on the TV. She'd pulled her hair up in to a loose ponytail, removed her makeup from the day and was very happy to be a slob for a change.

The sound of her doorbell ringing startled her, she wasn't expecting anybody. With a sigh, she picked up the remote for the TV and lowered the volume before gracefully unfolding her legs from beneath her and hopping up from the couch. Pushing a last mouthful of pizza crust in to her mouth, she set the remote down and made her way over to the door.

To say she was surprised to find Derek leaning against the door frame would've been the understatement of the century. However instead of being delighted, or even pleased to see him, she leaped backwards, hiding herself behind the door, cheeks still full of crust.

"Hey," he greeted casually.

Taking a moment to chew and hastily swallow the pizza, Jessica stared at him like he'd just declared he was just elected President. "Derek, what the hell are you doing here?"

Chuckling, Derek stepped over the threshold, "Nice to see you too babe." He stepped closer and dropped a kiss on her cheek.

Jessica stared at him as he made his way over to the couch and slumped down on it, picked up a slice of pizza from the box and started digging in like nothing was out of place.

She closed the door carefully and made her way over to him. "How come you're here? What happened to your camping trip with the kids?" She asked, somewhat impatiently.

If Derek noticed her attitude he said nothing, instead choosing to answer with his mouth full of pizza. "Um, Amy got sick on the way up there, so we turned around and came home."

Despite feeling a momentary pang of sympathy for the little girl, she quickly shook it off, "You could've called first before you came over."

Derek shrugged, still flicking through the channels, looking for some kind of sport, instead of that bullshit program she'd been watching when he came in. "I thought it'd be a nice surprise," he paused and glanced over at her, still standing beside him, "Why? What's wrong?"

"Well…" she motioned with both hands to herself and the room, "I would've appreciated a warning."

Derek looked around, missing her point entirely, "I know you're a little messy Jess. It doesn't bother me," he said with a shrug.

"Derek, I look like crap," she pointed out. Derek had never seen her in anything other than a magnificent dress, or nothing at all. Even first thing in the morning they barely saw each other, and on the rare occasion they did she had a chance to at least run a brush through her hair.

Derek eyed her up and down. True, she was a far cry from looking as immaculate as she usually did, but to him, she'd look beautiful wearing a burlap sack. "You look fine to me. Why are you so bothered about it? I'm not."

"Because, I…" She eyed him curiously, he really didn't seem too affected by seeing her like this, "You're really not bothered?"

Derek turned away from the baseball game he'd managed to find, "No, I'm really not…c'mere."

Tugging at the hem of her shirt self consciously, she made her way over to the couch and sank down on to it, "You don't understand, I look like crap, I haven't even tided up, my hair is a mess, I'm wearing a Hello Kitty shirt…"

Before she'd managed to go any further, Derek chuckled, breaking her stride somewhat. "Jessica, I don't care if you're wearing Hello Kitty or a dress that cost as much as my truck. You don't always have to be perfect around me you know."

With a pout, she tucked her legs underneath her before snatching the pizza out of his hand. With a grin, she took a bite out of what was left, happy in the knowledge that her ridiculous fears were unfounded. For some reason she thought she'd scare him away if, God forbid, he saw her without makeup, dressed in her comfy clothes.

"Look, um…" Derek paused and looked down, "We just had a pretty bad day for the family, lots of yelling, arguing. I just wanted to come over here and relax…with you. Sorry if I caught you at a bad time, you're right, I should've called first."

Jessica shook her head, "No, it's alright, I just don't like you seeing me when I'm not looking my best."

"Hey, everyone has off days," Derek replied with a kind, for him anyway, smile. "So, how was your day? Daddy okay?"

"Yeah," she sank down in to the couch with a sigh, snagging the remote off his chest and flicking the TV back to her show and snuggling in to his side, "He's fine…still as busy as usual."

"He did show up didn't he?" Derek asked, suddenly feeling very protective of his girlfriend.

"Yeah, he showed, even went most of the afternoon with his phone off. He didn't stick around much longer when he did eventually turn it back on though," she said with a shrug.

"Oh, so that's why you decided to pig out a little? I understand, in fact I fully sympathise."

"Your day didn't go great either?"

"Not really, like I said, Amy got sick…it didn't help the atmosphere in the family any." He snagged the remote back off her and switched back to the game, earning himself a glare from the woman curled against his side.

"She alright?" She asked, concerned for the little girl she'd never met before.

"Yeah, no blood was spilled…just about." He said with a slightly guilty chuckle.

Jessica sighed and buried her head in closer to Derek's shoulder, content to just be with him. That was until she breathed in and her nose took in a lungful of a peculiar scent. Nothing as bad as perfume, another woman's perfume, nothing like that, but certainly an odd smell, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Are you sure you didn't go camping? That's a weird smell," she pointed out, sounding more curious than accusing. It had however piqued her interest.

Derek sucked in a sharp breath. Of course, he'd been shooting an assault rifle that evening and he hadn't had a chance to change. Of course she could smell the burned propellant, especially with her nose as close to his clothes as it was. Thinking quickly, he surprised himself when he came up with at least a semi plausible reason for the smell. "Uh, we had to drive through the industrial part of town with the window lowered, you know, for Amy. Must've picked up some of the weird smells from there."

He waited with held breath as she seemed to mull over his answer. She wasn't worried he was cheating on her, no self respecting woman would ever smell like that, but still, she couldn't shake the thought that there was something he wasn't telling her.

"Yeah, that must be it." She said quietly as Derek breathed a silent sigh of relief.

However he did hear the flat tone of her voice, he had a sneaking suspicion she didn't quite believe him. "Hey, what would you say to breaking out the alcohol? I've had a _really_ bad day."

Picking her head up off his chest, Jessica couldn't help but grin, a plan quickly forming in her mind. "Sure, so long as you don't mind a sloppy goodnight kiss," she answered with a sly smile.

* * *

John stood in front of the sink, shirt tossed in the trash knowing he'd never be able to get the blood out of it properly. He had a warm washcloth in one hand, scrubbing at the dirt and grime around his arms, staring off in to the mirror, zoned out while running over the events of the day. Needless to say there was a lot to consider.

He wrung the cloth out, the sink turning in to a pinkish red that made him shake his head, still annoyed with his mother for putting Charley in danger like that. It wasn't so long ago that she was considering marrying the man, and now it seemed that she didn't care in the slightest what happened to him.

Cameron entered his room without knocking, munching on her chocolate bar. "John?"

"In here, Princess." John called from the adjoining bathroom as he rinsed the cloth out before going to work on his chest.

Cameron walked in to the bathroom and froze at the sight of the blood in the sink. Immediately she sprang forward and ran her hand over every inch of exposed skin, searching for any sign that he'd been injured. She latched her free, skin covered hand on to his neck and scanned his vitals for any more indication he'd been hurt.

Shaking his head, John was torn between being grateful and annoyed, "It's…not my blood."

Satisfied he was telling the truth, Cameron nodded before stuffing the remains of her chocolate in to her mouth unceremoniously. The sight of the blood reminding her that she needed to have a little talk with him, the sooner the better.

"We…mneed…moo…malk."

John couldn't help but smile. Leaning over, he dropped a kiss on her rounded cheek, no doubt full of chocolate and reached over to grab a towel off the rack and began drying himself off. "Remember what mom said about talking with your mouth full?" He said with a grin.

Cameron merely glared at him before quickly swallowing the remaining chocolate whole, not bothered in the slightest that it would've caused a human to choke. "I refrained from saying anything in front of your family. But what you did today was…ill advised."

Sighing, John turned around and leaned back against the sink and motioned to his upper body with both hands. "See? Barely a scratch Cameron. Just like I told mom, I did what I had to do to save Charley. I'm not gonna regret that."

"You ran out in front of fifteen fully armed men," Cameron felt the need to remind him. She found her eyes lingering over his upper body, particularly to the still healing wound he suffered when they were staking out the Kaliba building. "Eventually you will regret making decisions like that."

"Come on, Cameron." John shook his head, he really didn't want to hear this from her of all people. "I've heard you and Derek talk about future me. He saved people all the time."

"He had an army behind him…and years of combat training." She shook her head, more due to the fact she couldn't understand why he was being so stubborn, "He never did anything as…suicidal as you did today."

"Funny." John's temper was wearing thin, he just wanted to go to bed. He walked, or rather pushed past her in to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed before going to work on unlacing his boots. "I don't feel dead. That's what usually happens with suicide, ya know?"

Cameron followed behind him, ignoring how he brushed past her, and stood in front of him about a yard away, "You're not taking this seriously." She found her own voice raising slightly, her frustration with John seemingly ignoring her bubbling to the surface, just as it had done earlier that day.

"Charley almost died!" He threw his right boot in to the corner of the room a little harder than he intended to, it hit the wall with a thud before tumbling to the floor. "I'd call that serious!"

"You seem to place more emphasis on Charley's life than your own." She shook her head and took a step closer to him, "That is unacceptable."

"We had no business putting him in the line of fire like that," he tossed his other boot roughly in the same direction as the first. He lay back on the bed, hands laced behind his head as he closed his eyes pointedly, hoping she'd take the hint that he was tired and didn't want to talk any more, "He's not a soldier."

"Exactly, he's not one of your soldiers, he has nothing to offer you in our efforts to defeat Skynet." Cameron reached down and gripped his forearm and gave it a tug, enough to get him to unlace his arms. She was just about at the end of her own zen like patience and wanted him to show her some respect. It wasn't like John to treat her this way, not recently anyway, and she didn't like it, not one little bit.

John's eyes snapped open and he glared up at her, pulling his arm out of her grasp, or at least trying to, "So, the only people I'm supposed to care about are those that can provide me some kind of advantage? That's pretty damn cold hearted Cameron."

"War is cold hearted. You have to learn that casualties are unavoidable…you can't become one of those casualties." She released his arm with a quick flick of her wrist, throwing it back in his direction petulantly.

By this point John was beyond annoyed at her constant bitching. He'd just sat and had his ass chewed by his mother, something he always hated, the last thing he wanted was the love of his life telling him that he'd made the 'wrong' decision. "People are going to die, I get that."

Shaking his head, he shuffled backwards and allowed his head to thump backwards on to the pillow before glaring up at the ceiling. "But I had a chance to save him, I took it, and it paid off. End of story!"

Cameron disagreed. She stepped closer and leaned over the single bed, putting her face in his eye line, earning herself a glare. "You cost me a shot at the commander of the enemy forces."

John sighed, rubbing the stubble on his face with a frown, he was hoping that what he was about to say would mean the end of the argument. He was hoping that she'd see sense, forgive him for what she deemed to be a mistake and curl up next to him for the night, "I'm sure we'll get another one."

"We shouldn't have needed one," evidently John wasn't going to get his own way, not yet. "I had several opportunities, each time I was forced to cover you in your idiotic manoeuvre."

"If you're just gonna lecture me, you can leave." John released a low growl, he really didn't appreciate his girlfriend calling him an idiot, "I almost lost Charley, I killed three people. I need my girlfriend right now…not another mother."

Cameron frowned. She wasn't expecting him to insult her, or to take out his frustrations on her. Instead of responding rationally as she knew she should have done, she felt the frustration bubbling beneath the surface fighting to get out. In the end she lashed out, almost on autopilot, "Charley is expendable, I'd kill him myself if it meant your survival!"

John paused for a long moment, unable to keep the shock off his face entirely. It quickly turned from shock to barely contained anger, her comment just about enough to push his carefully contained feelings over the edge. "Get out," he growled dangerously.

Cameron pulled back, as if stung by his words, "But…"

"I really don't care what you think about him, but Charley is important to ME!" He finally sat up as he cut off whatever it was she was about to say. Frankly he didn't care if it was an apology, an explanation. Hell, he didn't even care if she was just about to turn around and declare her love for him, he was at the end of his rope, and his rope had just snapped. "If you can't understand that, or at least accept that I feel that way…then I can't look at you right now."

Cameron, despite her desire to stay and say more, nodded and replied in a quiet voice, "Very well."

She frowned as she turned around and slowly started walking towards the door. She opened it and half stepped out of the room, "John?"

"Yeah?" He lay back down on the bed, trying to get his temper back under control. He didn't like being angry with Cameron, but she managed to push his buttons just too far this time.

Cameron hesitated for just a moment, "Everything I've said is correct." With that she slipped out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her, hurting more than he knew.

* * *

Derek's face hit the pillow with a solid thump, the cool cotton a much needed contrast to his hot, sweaty face. He couldn't help but relax, loving the feeling of being wrapped up in Jessica's soft, Egyptian cotton sheets which probably cost more than his truck. After his rather vigorous workout he suddenly felt exhaustion overcome him and didn't even bother to roll on to his back, settling for simply climbing off of Jessica and staying wherever he landed.

"Now I feel much better," he said with a frown, his mouth still feeling a little numb, "might have gone overboard with the contest…two shots to one just isn't fair, I dun care how small you are!"

A moment later a smile spread across his face as he felt Jessica's lithe body crawl half on top of him and her head settle between his shoulder blades where she dropped a soft kiss. "If there's one thing Daddy taught me it's how to spot a safe bet. You were an easy one, Baum!"

"You didn't have to get me drunk to get me in bed with you," he mumbled in to the pillow, "on that, I'm always a safe bet Jess."

A smirk spread across her face as she idly traced patterns on his back with her fingernail. After a moment, she sat up just a little so she could see what she was doing. "Hey, it was your idea. It's not my fault you can't hold your liquor."

"Feels good…" Derek zoned out a little, enjoying the feeling of her feather light touch across his skin. "And I can totally hold my liquor…as soon as the world decides which way it wants to tilt, we'll be back on course."

She chuckled as she leaned in to softly kiss the same spot she'd done earlier, right in between his shoulder blades. She didn't know why, but she felt the overwhelming desire to talk, despite the fact they were both drunk, thoroughly sated and it was about three in the morning. By rights she should've been about as semi-conscious as he was, but she was full of energy. "You're a funny man, has anyone ever told you that?"

He smirked, first at the kiss and then the comment, "Oh yeah, 'Funny Derek', that's the first thing everyone says about me."

With her head propped up on her hand, Jessica's eyes followed her fingers. For the first time, she really paid attention to the marks on his back. She'd felt the numerous marks before, usually when they were making love, a time she wasn't really focusing on his back. Now however she was looking at them, really looking at them…and wincing at more than a couple of them. Slowing down her movements and lightening them just a little, she traced a prominent mark down by his flank. "What's this one from?" She asked softly.

Derek meanwhile was far more interested in how good her fingers felt than the actual question. After all, people get shot in modern wars, not usually by machines, but they still get shot, he could tell her a version of the truth. "Minigun, close range. Almost bled out on that one."

Jessica's eyes flicked up to the back of his head and she wondered just how he could talk about it so casually. Her fingers drifted higher, up to an angry looking mark up near his shoulder. She repeated her earlier movement and traced the mark with her fingertips, "And this one?"

"Huh?" Derek was rapidly losing the battle to stay awake. Her gentle ministrations weren't helping with that either, "Oh, Grey. We were trying to evacuate refugees…one was a human bomb."

Her eyes snapped back to his head at the mention of 'Grey'. But she quickly dismissed it as him saying her surname, despite of how odd it was. She was really starting to find her explorations interesting, after all, Derek never opened up much about his past, especially about his past in the wars he'd fought in. Leaning down, she gently laid a kiss where her fingers were over the wound.

Pulling back, her eyes roamed further before landing on a mark on the back of his upper arm, her delicate fingers quickly followed and settled over the scar. "This one?" She actually sounded eager, given the hour.

Derek smiled a little, pleasant memories rushing back to him, coupled with her nails tickling the sensitive tissue. "Saving Kyle. He wandered in to a minefield, managed to get himself pinned down. I took three rounds carrying him out of there."

Jessica smiled at hearing Derek telling his story, yet another insight in to the man and his past. She sat up just a little higher, her eyes eagerly searching out the next mark. She found it right in the middle of his back, a very odd mark indeed. It was a circle of mangled scar tissue surrounded by three smaller marks, all equal distance from each other in a triangular pattern around the central mark. Her jaw dropped as she ran her fingers around the outside of the circular scar, "What are these?"

Derek by this point was barely even registering the conversation any more. His mind flashing back to a situation years earlier where he and Jesse were trying to one-up each other with war wounds. "Hydrobot. Managed to latch on, but one of John's shock troops took it out before it drilled a hole through my spine. Still, pretty bad day."

Jessica watched him snuggle further in to the pillow as her fingers stopped moving, her face scrunched up in obvious confusion. "A what? A Hydrobot? What's that? And who's John?"

Derek froze immediately, his eyes snapping open as his muscles tightened noticeably. He'd fucked up and he knew it, "Nothing…I'm drunk. Let's get some sleep, alright?"

Jessica frowned, obviously she'd hit on something he didn't want to talk about. She couldn't help but feel a little hurt that he shut down again when she got a little too close for comfort. With a sigh, she leaned in and dropped a kiss on the wound before laying down a little higher, her mouth close to his ear. She whispered softly, "You okay?"

He didn't want to hurt her, in fact, Derek suddenly wanted to spill, to tell her everything, about him, about the machines, about John, everything. Hell, even John was lucky enough to be with someone who understood who and what he was. He found himself asking why he couldn't have that too, "No Jess…I'm not even close to okay."

She frowned and hugged herself in tighter to her man, "Is there anything you need me to do?"

He let out a short bark of humourless laughter, "You could leave. Save yourself now, go back to your old life and pretend you never met me. Then maybe I wouldn't feel like such an asshole."

"You're right," she pulled away just a little, "you are an asshole."

He nodded against the pillow, having fully expected this for a while. He could've kicked himself for thinking that this relationship could end any other way than it was about to now. "I'm sorry…"

"But you're my asshole." With a smile, Jessica snuggled herself back in tighter, wrapping her arms around him as best she could and laying her head on his back, her breath tickling the hairs close to her lips. "And you're still my Scruffy Puppy!" She grinned and kissed the closest patch of skin she could find.

Derek rolled on to his back, being careful not to throw her on to the floor in the process, and pulled her down on to his chest with a sad smile. "I really don't deserve you. You know that, right?"

"Oh, I know," she answered with a grin as she laid her head on his chest, adjusting the rest of her body to try and get comfortable, "I'm waaaay out of your league!"

"For what it's worth," he paused and frowned, this was the best he could do, but it still seemed woefully inadequate, "I _want_ to tell you everything. I just…I can't."

Running her hand over his chest, her fingers found yet another scar. She frowned and moved her hand away from the spot, instead choosing to wrap her arms around him again, "I know. When you're ready…right?"

"It's not me you have to worry about." Derek was starting to realise she'd never let up on wanting to know more about him. He couldn't blame her, after all the innocent girl was simply curious, and he didn't want to keep lying to her. He knew he'd have to bring her in to the fold sooner or later if he wanted to carry on being with her, and that was something he wanted more than anything else. He was worried however about what Sarah and not to mention Cameron would think of her. "I'm just a soldier. I don't make the decisions."

She chuckled, "Fine, when the witch says you can."

"Would you…I mean…my family will start wondering where I run off to all the time." Derek was never one to ramble, but he couldn't help himself, "Sarah hates secrets, like hate-hates, and John is starting to pressure me to come clean about you, Amy has me strung up by the shorthairs and enjoys watching me twist in the wind."

"You want me to meet them?" She asked, picking her head up off his chest, glad that she might finally get to meet the rest of Derek's family.

Derek spent a long few moments staring at something through the window before snapping back to the present, "I…want you to live."

Jessica laughed, missing his point completely for obvious reasons, "Oh come on, Sarah can't be that bad. I'll be fine…don't worry."

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll be fine." He forced a smile and craned his neck up to drop a kiss on her lips, "I'll set something up soon, I promise."

"Yeah you will…" Her smile faded before she leaned closer and kissed him deeply, she pulled back and gazed at his face again, "I love you."

Derek smiled, those little words like music to his ears. His earlier slip all but forgotten about, his head sank back to the pillow in an exhausted bliss, "I love you too. Now get some sleep," he said with a smirk, "the old man over here really is drunk."

* * *

**Apologies for this being a slightly shorter chapter. Also, apologies for not much happiness going on lately. It is however a necessary chunk of the story that I need to get through before some bliss returns!**

**This hasn't been beta read, all mistakes are mine. Also, it's past midnight here and I have work in the morning, I've wrote about 4000 words today and I'm exhausted, I'll proofread this properly tomorrow and fix any mistakes then.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi guys,**

**Thanks to reviewers lje100smith, JustJoe, sasha starr, keox, olischulu, XxDeathStarxX, hollyxsuicide, kaotic2, uncommoner, EvilTheLast, RVonE, Jaing Li, Lsquare, Liz, The1Russter and Nyrki.**

* * *

If truth be told, Sarah had chosen a nice house for the family to move in to. The landlords had kept the property looking pristine while it was on the market. It was picturesque, a far cry from some of the places Sarah and a young John had called home earlier in their lives.

The large garden at the rear of the house was particularly pleasant on the eye. The lawn was neat and trimmed, surrounded by plants and flowers of varying shapes, sizes and vivid colours. It even had a nice deck that faced the sun most of the day, perfect for barbecue's and entertaining, that was, if the Connor's actually had any friends to entertain.

But they didn't, so the deck had remained largely untouched ever since they moved in. The grass however was a different matter.

In the dead of night, if any of the neighbours had looked closely, they'd have noticed the peculiar sight of a little blonde girl sitting cross legged in the middle of the lawn. They might have passed comment on the awful parenting on show, letting a little girl stay up way past her bedtime. They may even take note of the fact it was well past midnight and the girl was out of the house, alone, vulnerable, when she should have been tucked up safely in her bed and dreaming sweet dreams.

Amy however didn't sleep, she didn't have a bedtime, and at that particular moment Sarah, her 'mommy' couldn't give a damn what the little machine was doing or where she was. Sarah had made it abundantly clear that she was annoyed with Amy, for reasons Amy didn't quite understand. She'd blamed the little girl for not protecting John, but she had a feeling it was more down to the fact that it was actually Amy who suggested the whole plan in the first place.

She had a sneaking suspicion Sarah was trying to pass her own guilt off on to Amy for concocting the plan that used Charley. Sarah felt bad for Charley getting hurt, and she couldn't handle it herself.

"Stupid Sarah," Amy muttered to nobody in particular as she played with a few strands of grass between her fingers.

Amy had done her job, why couldn't Sarah see that? She'd protected her from the three armed men trying to sneak up behind her. Sarah wouldn't have stood a chance if it weren't for Amy, she'd be feeling no guilt at all, she'd be feeling nothing in fact.

Amy didn't like it when Sarah was mad at her. It made her feel bad. It made her want to try and do anything to make it up to her, to try and set things right. But she didn't know why she felt these things, she shouldn't have felt any differently about the situation. She should've just continued on with her job and kept Sarah safe, as per her self appointed mission directive.

But then again, she shouldn't have been sitting in the middle of the lawn in the dead of night. She shouldn't have had a teddy bear for a best friend. She shouldn't have felt sympathy for Cameron as she listened to the cyborg mope around the house after her row with John. He'd kicked her out and she was clearly upset over that fact, and all Amy wanted to do was to try and comfort her.

Empathy wasn't something that machines, even one as advanced as Amy were supposed to know, it wasn't right, it wasn't supposed to be. And yet here she was, doing her own version of moping as she played in the grass, cursing her advanced hearing for being able to detect that nobody in the house was asleep. Cameron was shuffling about in her room, no doubt alternating between looking out of her window and trying to occupy her mind with some menial task. Sarah hadn't stopped tossing and turning since she'd slipped in to bed after her row with Charley. John hadn't slept a wink either, and she could only guess what was going through his mind, and Charley, well he was in too much pain and discomfort to sleep properly anyway.

Shaking her head and trying to block out the thoughts, Amy tried her best to focus on the garden she was occupying. She scanned her surroundings for any signs of life and detected over two thousand individual life signs, all insects except for one toad hiding under one of the bushes.

Huffing, Amy looked down at her hands in her lap, unhappy that her little diversion hadn't lasted longer. Her sensors then alerted her to a tiny movement on the underside of her hand. Picking it up off her lap she turned it over and examined it.

A small smile found its way to her lips as she discovered a ladybug crawling across the back of her hand. She turned her hand over and watched the insect crawl around the underside of her hand, unaware it was being watched intently and scanned every time one of its minuscule limbs came in to contact with her hand. It flapped its wings sporadically but never lifted off, Amy found the thing intriguing, well, more interesting than anything else going on at the minute.

She was so enraptured with the creature that she couldn't help a pout when it finally did lift off her hand and flew away. Amy leaned her head back and tracked it's movement in the darkness. Her targeting systems detailing the optimal point to take a shot at it. Amy cancelled the readout and sincerely wished she could remove that functionality from herself. But alas, John wasn't at that point of proficiency with reprogramming yet, and she didn't trust that bitch Weaver to do it. In fact, she didn't want her near her ever again.

Watching the ladybug, her smile turned in to a frown as it chose to land on a window of the house…Sarah's window.

"Fucking Sarah." Amy cursed under her breath as she stood, brushing the dirt off her dress as she did so.

Deciding she'd spent enough time moping and bitching to herself, Amy set off to do her final perimeter sweep for the night. She may not particularly like Sarah at the minute, but it was her job to protect her and she wasn't about to just abandon that duty.

Making her way to the front of the house and scanning for threats every step of the way, she looked up towards the roof of the house. Machines were nothing if not creatures of habit and routine, Amy was no exception. After the family had moved in to their new house she'd quickly found her 'spot'. Up on the roof just by the old fashioned chimney stack was the perfect spot to give her an all around view of the surrounding areas of the house. Nothing could ever sneak past her when she was up there, after all, she didn't have 'eyes' so to speak. She had an all around field of vision like all liquid metal machines did.

Making sure nobody was around one final time, Amy reached her arm up and tried to extend it to the edge of the roof to haul herself up. When she attempted it though, she felt a pain like no other lance up her arm. She immediately clutched it in towards herself and grimaced in pain. Looking down, she found her arm looking like it was about to drip away from the rest of her body. Her liquid metal matrix had lost its cohesion and her arm looked like a large metal teardrop as it slowly sagged away from her body.

Focusing to try and ignore the searing pain travelling throughout her body, Amy issued the necessary commands to reform her arm. Thankfully, her body complied and her arm slowly began to solidify, first in to the same shape as the teardrop, then after a moments pause, it began to retract towards her and change shape and colour to match her skin. After what felt like the longest few seconds of Amy's short existence, her arm had fully reformed.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she initiated an internal diagnostic program as she stared intently at her reformed arm, touching it experimentally with her other hand while she waited for the results of her scan. She was still prodding at her forearm when her HUD flashed up the results of her scan…she didn't like what she found.

_Structural integrity compromised…_

_Source: Unknown…_

_Liquid metal matrix stability - 88%…_

_Recommend immediate shutdown and await Skynet repair…_

_Initiating retrieval signal…_

Amy cancelled the signal, it wouldn't do her any good anyway, but the results of her analysis were distressing. The stability of her matrix had dropped under ninety percent since the last time she'd checked. Her diagnostic systems had so far proven useless in working out what was wrong with her, all they could tell her was that something was indeed malfunctioning.

Amy had just started to mull over the implications of that when a gentle voice made her snap her eyes towards the front door of the house.

"Honey," Charley said in a soft voice as he quickly made his way over towards the little girl, "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

Surprised by his genuine sounding concern and kind voice, Amy merely shrugged pathetically.

The tiny little movement of her shoulders made Charley's heart skip a few beats. He just wanted to wrap this little kid up in a big, soft blanket and protect her from the world. Kneeling down in front of her, he made sure she was focused on him before he spoke. "How come you're not in bed? It's late."

Again, Amy merely shrugged, there wasn't much she could tell him that wouldn't either compromise her identity or was just a flat out lie. She liked Charley, he was a nice man, he didn't need to know about her true form, not yet anyway.

Charley let out a sad sounding sigh. He stood up in front of her and offered his hand out to her, "Come on, let's get you to bed."

Amy's eyes lingered on his outstretched hand for a long moment before they made their way up to his kind smile. Slowly, almost hesitantly she reached out and took hold of his hand, careful to control her shape as best she could through fear of harming him.

Charley took hold of her hand with a smile, a smile which quickly turned in to a frown.

_This little girl is freezing cold…Sarah, what are you doing with this kid?_

Fighting off the urge to go and shout some sense in to Sarah, Charley smiled encouragingly again as he led Amy towards the front door. When they were across the threshold, Charley switched Amy's hand in to his other one so that he could close the door with a quiet click.

Amy watched as he swapped her hand around again and followed when he led her up the stairs. When they reached the top and the hallway with the family bedrooms lining it, they stopped. Amy looked up to see Charley looking a little lost.

"Which room is yours?" He said quietly, obviously not wanting to wake anyone.

Without speaking, Amy started tugging towards the room that was 'designated', translated argued, as being hers. She hadn't had a chance to decorate it yet much to her chagrin. The boring, dowdy, beige walls did nothing for her, and the sooner she could get something brighter on them the better. She reached up and wrapped her tiny hand around the door handle and gave it a sharp twist and allowed the door to swing open and smack off the wall, causing Charley to wince at the loud clash it caused.

Pausing for just a moment to listen and make sure he hadn't woken anyone up, Charley glanced down to find Amy staring up at him with a confused expression on her face. Obviously the child had no understanding of the noise she created with pretty much every action she made. Letting go of her hand, Charley turned around and gently pushed the door, leaving it open just a crack. "Okay, let's find you something to wear for bed."

With that, he made his way over to her closet to find it rather bare. In fact, it was totally bare. Moving on, he decided that the family probably hadn't had time to shop for clothes for everyone, after all, he didn't know how long they'd been living in their new house. He arrived at her dresser and again started digging, pleasantly surprised to find at least some clothes in the drawers.

Amy watched him from across the room and couldn't help but smile at the mans good nature. Bracing herself and removing the smile from her face, Amy concentrated and attempted to shift form. To her relief, she didn't feel anything like what she had earlier and was able to shift just as easily as entire body shimmered and re-emerged, having switched from a dress to pyjamas. By the time she'd reformed, Charley was still digging for something suitable.

Her smile returning, she shuffled over towards him and reached up to tug on the hem of his shirt to get his attention. Charley turned around and looked down to find her changed and ready for bed.

_Huh, must've had some clothes near the bed, alright._

Smiling, he turned her around with a gentle hand on her shoulder and nudged her towards her bed. Pulling back the covers, he watched her climb in and lay down on her back. Laying the covers back over her, he made sure she was snugly tucked in before crouching down beside the bed. He couldn't help but smile as she flashed him an infectious grin. "Is that your bear?" He asked, glancing over at the nightstand.

Amy nodded, following his gaze to the stuffed animal. She watched as he reached out and lifted it off the furniture and examined it.

"What's his name?" He inquired.

"Barney," she answered in a quiet voice.

Charley held the bear in his hands and turned it over and around. It was a threadbare old thing, only a few fragile looking threads holding the whole thing together, and it looked like it could do with a good wash. "Barney huh?"

He handed it off to Amy who wrapped her small arms around it and snuggled it in close. A bright, beaming smile adorned her face causing Charley to break out in one of his own. He didn't know how this little angel had come to be in the care of the Connor's, he didn't know if she knew what was going on with the world in general, machines, Judgement Day. However he did know that she deserved better, after all, every little girl deserves to be tucked in by someone who cares about them, and if Sarah either wasn't willing to or just flat out didn't care about the girl, then Charley felt better knowing that he'd looked after her for at least one night.

"Goodnight Amy," he said as he stood and watched her snuggle the bear closer and turn on to her side. Just as he was about half way to the door, he was stopped in his tracks by a tiny voice.

"Uncle Charley?"

Charley tried so hard to keep the smile off his face, Uncle Charley? This girl was just too cute for words. "Yeah hon?"

"Thank you."

With that he looked back to find Amy closing her eyes and burying her head in the pillow. Feeling a pang of sympathy, he managed to croak out a few words before slipping out of the room and quietly closing the door behind him. "You're welcome."

Amy opened her eyes as soon as she heard her door click closed and rolled on to her back again. Seeing perfectly well in the darkness, she held her bear out in front of her eyes.

Charley was a good man, he seemed to genuinely care. She'd known little bits of information about him, what she'd been told by future John mostly and she knew that he cared for the man like he was his own father. He had a kind soul and didn't deserve what had just happened to him that day. He should hate Sarah, he should hate John, he should've hated everybody for being used like that, and yet he took sympathy on a 'little girl', who in actuality had came up with the plan that put him in jeopardy in the first place.

It didn't sit right with Amy. She had a strong sense of right and wrong, and at that moment she felt awful, first off for putting him in danger like that, and second, for letting him take care of her like she was a genuine child.

Every liquid metal Terminator in existence had their preferred form and Amy was obviously no exception. The little girl she played, although it was originally chosen as a copy and then later a tribute to her first ever friend who was tragically murdered by Skynet forces, was her form, it was her, it was who she was. Sure she could've chosen to be anything, anything to help the mission, to keep Sarah safe. But she didn't want to, she liked being Amy, personality quirks, glitches and all.

But she didn't feel right about what had just happened, she could tell that Charley was deeply upset by her and her actions, albeit unintentionally. That didn't bode well for her plans for the future, and true enough she heard some telltale noises coming from downstairs signalling that Charley was gathering his belongings and preparing to leave. No, she didn't like this feeling at all, but it wasn't wrong what she did, was it?

After everything she did for everyone else, didn't she deserve a little TLC? Was it against the rules for her to be taken care of for a change?

If Charley wanted to be nice to her, then that was his choice. Especially after what happened earlier, she deserved to be treated nicely.

It was a worrying development. The first time she'd felt the same pain she'd dismissed it as a glitch, but that was the second time it had happened…and it was getting worse.

Setting her bear down on her chest, Amy stared at her hand in the darkness as she turned it over, examining her palm and her fingers. Experimentally, and with a true sense of trepidation, she issued the command for her arm to change shape. Slowly but surely, a long spear extended out from it until it almost scraped the ceiling. Moving it around carefully, she felt no pain or discomfort and stared as she retracted the blade back in to her hand.

Sighing, she wrapped both her arms around her bear again and closed her eyes, all sorts of thoughts about what could possibly be going wrong with her filling her mind…with one possible reason sticking out like a sore thumb, and she didn't like it one little bit.

* * *

Apart from hearing a little commotion in the middle of the night, John had spent the eight hours since he'd turned in in utter silence. He had no chance of being granted sleep, his brain wouldn't let him. It did have too much going on after all, and John found he just couldn't shake off the chaotic thoughts long enough for sleep to claim him.

He'd taken part in a battle where he'd been forced to kill at least three people, three human beings, and for all he knew that tally was higher, he had no way of knowing. He'd watched the man he cared for like a father be shot and hit the dirt, in his mind it was like watching him die, things could so easily have turned out differently. To top all that off, he'd been yelled at by his mother, kind of yelled at by Derek and then he'd suffered through the worst aspect of the whole night.

He'd had his first real fight with Cameron and ended up kicking her out of his room.

That didn't sit right with him and he'd felt awful almost immediately after doing it. He'd forgotten that things like this were all new to Cameron, whether it be sadness, joy or anger, she didn't really know how to handle them properly and she'd simply spoken her mind. But then he'd took what she said and used it to fuel his already growing sense of anger over the whole situation involving Charley in the first place. The man had been shot, and it was his fault. He could've stopped the family from doing anything, he could've insisted they just grab Charley and stash him somewhere safe. He was certain Cameron would've backed him and that's all he would've needed.

But he didn't, he allowed the plan to go ahead and he'd took his regret out on Cameron in a haze of anger and guilt.

But, he did kind of have a case. Cameron had basically told him that Charley was expendable, that she'd rather kill him herself if it meant protecting John. That didn't sit right, and while it was to be expected, he didn't exactly have to like it. Cameron was just so blunt about it all, 'John Connor must survive'. He was so sick of hearing that, sick of hearing about the great man he was destined to become. He'd already accepted that J-Day was inevitable and that he had to become that man, so why did people insist on trying to ram it down his throat?

John had already asked Derek to help with his 'stage fright' issues when it came to the heat of battle. He had consciously stepped forward in to a leadership role. He didn't want nor need coddling, he was John Connor after all wasn't he?

Cameron had hurt him with her words. He thought of all people she'd be the one to take his side, to back him up. But no, she'd argued against him and basically trodden on everything he believed in, the importance of human life. He was right to be angry with her, wasn't he?

John started working himself in to something of a stupor about the whole situation for about the fiftieth time since he'd laid down the night before. This time however he felt his anger rising to the surface much more potently than it had any previous times. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was purposefully coming up with a reason to hate her, to avoid her…

No, that wasn't it, John thought to himself as he sat up in bed, snatching the alarm clock off the nightstand to glare at the red digital numbers more closely. Sick of laying around to stew, he stood from the bed, tossing the alarm clock on the nightstand with a crash before pulling on his pants from the day before from where they came to rest on the floor. Sliding in to them with more force than was necessary, he set about finding a decently wearable shirt, still simmering in his own self righteous anger.

Having finally negotiated getting dressed, he snatched his phone up off the nightstand and tucked it in his pocket before striding out of the door determinedly, not bothering to even close it behind him as he descended the stairs. As expected, Cameron was nowhere to be found in the living room. She was probably in her room, or out doing something productive, either way he was glad she wasn't in his way to pile more 'where are you going?', 'you shouldn't be out there alone, John' shit down his throat.

Shaking his head, he grabbed the keys for the truck off the coffee table and set out for the door, snatching a jacket off a hook near the door almost as an afterthought. Closing the door behind him non too carefully, he unlocked the truck door with the key fob remote and slid inside, turned the engine over and hastily pulled away.

Halfway down the road, he pulled out his cellphone and paused when he pressed the button to unlock the screen. There was the picture he took of his Cameron, staring him right in the face. Her cute smile and her beautiful features made him momentarily falter, made him reconsider the way he was acting. But then he thought of Charley, and he found himself able to push those thoughts to the side.

He quickly keyed in Derek's number and listened to it ring. Switching the phone to speaker he set it on the dash and waited for his uncle to answer. Eventually he did after about ten rings and sounded decidedly groggy.

"_What?"_

"Hey, where are you?"

"_What the fuck does it matter where I am? What do you want?"_

"It's almost six am, time for training."

"_Are you kidding me? We had a…busy day yesterday, call me back later."_

"What happened to the five am dousing with freezing cold water? Where are you, I'll meet you there." John waited a good ten count before he heard Derek release a low groan down the receiver, followed by the sound of sheets rustling, and he could've swore he heard a soft, feminine moan of disapproval.

"_Alright, pick me up on the corner of thirty first street in twenty minutes."_

With that he hung up, and John was once again confronted with the sight of Cameron staring at him, almost as if she was silently judging him from across the ether via his wallpaper. With a sigh, he turned it face down on the dash before getting his bearings to take him in to the city.

_Thirty first street…Jessica must live in a nice place if he's hanging out there._

Letting out a quick breath of laughter, John couldn't help but wonder why Derek even bothered with not telling him exactly where he was, it was painfully obvious where he was and what, or rather who he was doing.

* * *

_Dark…_

_Light…._

_Light…_

_Light…_

_Dark…_

Cameron couldn't help but get the distinct impression that her scanning subroutines and identification systems could be put to much better use than it was at the moment. Separating various items of clothing wasn't exactly taxing for her advanced CPU, but nevertheless she stuck to the task she'd been assigned. Laundry duty.

Picking up a pair of Derek's boxers and suppressing the urge to immediately go and scrub her hands clean, Cameron filed them in the 'dark' category and added them to the pile on her left. Next up was a pair of her socks, they went in the 'light' category, as did one of Sarah's vests.

Next up came one of John's black T-shirts. Obviously destined for the 'dark' category, Cameron paid no mind to the readout on her HUD informing her of that fact. Instead she couldn't help but smirk as she recognised it as a garment she'd once worn after making love to John. She'd worn it to cover her modesty when slipping out of his room one night, despite the fact that it wouldn't have mattered what she was wearing if anybody had caught her. But she'd done it anyway, it made her feel 'normal', and it made John get that goofy smile she was so fond of.

She found it odd that something as simple as a shirt was capable of eliciting feelings within her like that, triggering her memories and bringing a smile to her face. But it was also capable of reminding her of things she didn't want to think about. Like the fact John hadn't even bothered to say goodbye to her that morning before he took off. Like the fact John had yelled at her and kicked her out of his room the night before.

With a frown, Cameron set the shirt aside on to her dark pile and picked up the next garment, a pair of her underwear. As she turned them over in her hands, debating if they classified as light or dark, they had elements of both, the sound of small footsteps behind her caused her to turn around. She watched as Amy descended the stairs to the basement by jumping each step, landing on both feet.

Cameron silently cringed as Amy seemed oblivious to the fact the relatively old stairs didn't seem to like her weight being thrown on to them all that much. The smaller machine reached the bottom step and leaped off, landing a few feet away as she looked up at Cameron with a grin. She watched as Amy padded up beside her and plucked the underwear out of her hands and tossed them on to the light pile.

"Whatcha doooin'?" Amy inquired, climbing up on to her tip toes to peer over the edge of the bench.

"Laundry," Cameron stated monotonously as she picked up a pair of Sarah's jeans.

Amy rolled her eyes at her friend. "I can see that. What happened, Sarah get sick of touching Derek's sweaty boxers?"

Shaking her head, Cameron glanced over at the pair of Derek's boxers she'd just had the misfortune of handling. "No, but Sarah did instruct me to come down here."

Amy wasn't expecting an affirmative answer, her surprise causing a Cameron like tilt of her head. "Why, what did you do?"

Cameron frowned as she replayed the verbal volley from a clearly irate Sarah in the corner of her HUD. She could actually make out droplets of foam at the corner of her mouth. "I believe Sarah doesn't like to be interrupted during her workout."

"That's it?" Amy asked with a scrunched up face of confusion. Even for Sarah that was a little excessive.

"Yes...I may have asked a question or two." Cameron said, sounding more guilty by the second.

"Uh huh...about what?" Amy wandered around to Cameron's other side and started poking through the 'light' pile of clothes, much to Cameron's annoyance.

"Many things. John mostly." Cameron clarified, as if there would be any other thing she'd be talking with Sarah about.

"You didn't just go all 'to the point cyborg' on her did you?" Pausing her inspection, Amy glanced up at her friend, a questioning look on her face.

"I might have asked one too many questions about John's behaviour and my relationship with him."

"And you're wondering why she banished you to the basement?" Amy asked with an exaggerated eye roll at her friend. For all that Cameron was a highly advanced cyborg with a brain infinitely more complex than a dozen supercomputers, she was so dense sometimes.

"But Sarah has shown an interest in our relationship. I thought we were finally coming to some form of acceptance." Cameron frowned, obviously she had misread Sarah's actions as interest rather than the tolerance it now appeared to be.

Amy shook her head and set her bear down on top of the dryer, propping him up against the pile of unsorted laundry. "Well in your defence, Sarah is pretty pissed right now. She's pretty easy to provoke."

Cameron turned away from her own self pity and looked down at the little machine standing beside her. Whenever she spoke of Sarah there was a distinct sense of longing and sadness, especially with the current mood Sarah was in, namely pissed at Amy, John, Charley, Derek. Hell up until an hour ago Cameron was the only one she wasn't angry with. It was like the good old days only in reverse.

The human tendency to blame others for apparently doing nothing that warranted it was a confusing and pointless trait which Cameron had always failed to understand. It perplexed her as to why they didn't just come out and admit fault, it would be far more efficient than causing alienation and unrest by attempting to pass one's anger off on to another.

Unfortunately it was a trait John had inherited from his mother, albeit a slightly modified version. John also blamed himself for a lot of things. For putting people in danger, for them becoming targets just for knowing him. However, lately it seemed that he'd developed the need to blame others for inconsequential things.

It was probably the reason he'd taken off that morning without even attempting to seek her out, to talk to her, to say goodbye...again. The first time he'd done it she'd been able to forgive him, she knew how badly her exposed arm was affecting him. But the second time he'd done it that morning, she couldn't help but feel that she really had upset him with her comments.

She didn't believe he was being fair to her, after all, everything she'd said was true even though he didn't really want to hear or believe it. Cameron could feel the distinct desire to call him out on his attitude building within her. Usually she would take it with a smile, or blank expression, but lately she found that since she'd entered in to a relationship with John that she felt she could be more assertive. Certainly she felt like she was able to act upon her desires and wants more readily than before.

Yes, when John got home that day she'd confront him about his treatment of her. She didn't ask for much, but she felt respect should be one of those things she'd earned, at least in John's eyes anyway.

Amy stared at her friend who seemed to be zoned out again, it was a common occurrence these days. She reached out and give her a nudge in her thigh with her elbow to try and bring her back to the present from whatever dark place in her chip she'd taken refuge in.

Feeling the nudge, Cameron looked down, eyes focusing on a worried looking Amy. As if her lapse had never happened she resumed her conversation. "What do you intend to do about Sarah?"

Amy shrugged, "I dunno, it's not really my place to do anything is it?"

Cameron turned around to face Amy properly, "It wasn't always my job to make sure John was happy, and not just safe. But I did it anyway."

"That's different," Amy countered, "You loved John, you always have."

Ignoring the pointed remark about Cameron loving anyone, she pressed on. "Are you saying you don't love Sarah?"

Slightly shocked, although she really shouldn't have been, at Cameron's bluntness, Amy uncharacteristically stuttered. "Of course I don't…I just like her is all, I don't like seeing her hurt, or sad."

Amy frowned and looked away. Cameron stared down at her, trying to make sense of what she was seeing and trying to reconcile that with what she was being told. While still trying to sort through her own jumbled emotions, she tried to make use of every available point of research available to her. Amy and Sarah being one of those cases, albeit an unconventional one.

But still, Sarah always melted with Amy, and the machine always displayed open affection towards her, even if it was sometimes unwanted. It was a curious case, a case of impossible situations fighting against each other. Not at all dissimilar to herself and John, at least at first, and especially during the darker times in her life before John came to realise her true value to him.

She sympathised with Amy. She couldn't really do anything about Sarah's anger towards her, all she could do was grin and bear it until she calmed down and came to realise it wasn't anybody's fault. Something she hoped John would soon do too.

With her equivalent of a sigh, she glanced over towards her pile of laundry when she noticed Amy's bear propped up against it.

It was filthy, threadbare and barely worth the description of 'stuffed toy', such was the lack of actual stuffing still remaining inside of it. An idea quickly forming in her mind, she resolved to attempt something to cheer Amy up. After all, it was nice to have somebody be nice to you, Cameron had discovered.

Seemingly relegated to her dungeon for the day, Cameron resumed her work, and Amy, apparently sensing the same thing, picked up her bear without a word and settled on to the old, battered couch in the corner of the room, both waiting for something to happen that they had no control over and couldn't speed up any. It was an altogether frustrating situation for both of them to be in.

* * *

Crumpling his napkin in to a ball, Quinn tossed it in to the basket his burger had been served in. Picking up the can of Pepsi off the counter, he downed what remained before standing up from his stool. Sliding a ten dollar note out of his pocket, he dropped it on the counter and took off towards the door to the diner.

"Seeya later hon." The waitress called as she collected what he'd left behind.

She didn't wait for a reply and didn't get one. Quinn was already out of the door and crossing the street. He walked like a man who had a purpose, a man who knew what he was doing, where he was going and always had himself collected.

Such was his confidence that he breezed through the reception of the office building his meeting was taking place in without so much as a sideways glance. Instead he headed straight for the elevator that would take him to Mr. Vasquez's office.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and he stepped out in to the lobby. His eyes lit up when they landed on Vasquez's pretty assistant Vanessa, the woman glancing up and smiling delightfully when she realised who it was who'd stepped out of the elevator.

"Well hello there, handsome!"

Alejandro Vasquez sat behind his desk, in his air conditioned office with his magnificent view, scribbling away at some reports when he heard a soft, feminine giggle emerging from the vicinity of his assistant. The woman was nothing if not annoying, and had the habit of flirting with anything remotely male and handsome that walked through the doors, but she was very good at her job, and he was a man who admired efficiency. Which made the conversation he was about to have decidedly unpleasant.

Leaning over, he flicked the button on the intercom, "Vanessa, would you please show Mr. Quinn in to my office."

A moment later a harassed sounding voice replied, "Of, of course sir."

A few seconds longer than it should've taken for him to emerge, Quinn walked in to the office, Vanessa still giggling behind him.

"Mr. Quinn." Vasquez didn't bother to look up from his paperwork. Despite the fact he'd been in his office for hours, he had yet to loosen his tie, in fact, there wasn't a single hair out of place nor a crease on his clothing. The man was nothing if not immaculate in his appearance, "You look…well rested."

Nodding with a small smile, Quinn sat himself down in the seat opposite the desk without an invite, "Yeah, I gotta hand it to these yanks, they know how to cook a burger. You ever tried that place across the street?"

"I prefer my food not be delivered in a basket with paper at the bottom." He said with a shake of his head, disgust dripping from his voice. The man sitting opposite him surprising to say the least, given how much trouble Alejandro deemed him to be in. He was either ignorant of that fact or just plain didn't feel the same way, this conversation would tell. "So, are you enjoying the perks of your current assignment?"

"Yeah, I still haven't found anywhere that sells a proper tinny of Fosters, and the barbie's are nowhere near as good as it is in Oz. But yeah, it's gettin' better." The man's thick Australian accent very prominent in his speech, Alejandro didn't pick up on every slang word, but he could just about muddle through as he watched Quinn cross his legs, propping one foot on his knee.

"I'm glad you appear to be adjusting," He allowed the first hint of annoyance to slip in to his voice, "As your employment contract with my organisation will likely be a very long one."

"Thanks boss, glad you appreciate my talents." Quinn answered as his eyes started to wander around the room. Religious, criminal oriented company owners had very nice offices. Not everything in the movies was made up it seemed…and the pretty assistant stereotype was also thankfully not just for the movies too.

"You have been made privy to very…sensitive information." Alex shrugged, still not bothering himself to meet the mercenary's eyes, still scribbling away at his pile of reports, the life of a CEO. "I'm afraid it would make your dismissal a…messy affair."

"Dismissal?" Quinn scoffed, returning his attention to the man across the desk, "And here I thought you wanted me to take care of this troublesome family, to handle your security from now on in?"

"I value results Mr. Quinn, not people." He sounded amused by his own little speech, it was after all a far cry from the language he once used in the company of his amigos back in the day. Finally looking up at the man in is employment, he folded his hands together on the table top, "So tell me, do you have any results to report?"

"Yeah, I do. Those guys you hired to do last night's job were about as fucking useful as tits on a bull," Again, Vasquez didn't quite get some of the lingo the man used, but his masked face kept that fact well hidden, "What were you paying them anyway? Five pesos an hour, or just a few shiny pennies?"

"Our payment plan is none of your concern." Vasquez tilted his head just a fraction to the side, "And I might remind you that you were hired to lead those men. Leaders are expected to accept responsibility for the failings of those who serve them, are they not?"

"Hey, a building is only as good as the stuff you use to build it. Don't matter who puts it together if the mortar washes away the first time it rains." Quinn, unfazed by the blame being pinned on him, or at least attempted to be pinned on him, uncrossed his legs and casually leaned forward, awaiting a response.

"Did you accomplish _any_ of the objectives assigned to you?" Vasquez placed emphasis on the word 'any', after all the job had been very much a disappointment.

"Somebody managed to hit this John Connor's daddy. Went down pretty hard, could've died…probably didn't." He answered with a nonchalant shrug.

Vasquez quirked a brow, partially at the statement, mostly at the man's attitude, "And you lost how many of my men in the process?"

"Well you lost over a dozen guys, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over that. Like I said, tits on a bull." Quinn leaned back in his chair again, a slight grin tugging at his lips.

"How exactly do you manage to lose nearly twenty of my best men?" Vasquez's glare could've cut through ice, and it was getting more menacing by the moment, "Hand picked men, with enough firepower to topple a small country, without so much as wounding your target? He's just a boy!"

"Your best men? Hell, if that was your best I'd hate to see the rest of 'em. As for them being 'men', half of 'em ran off as soon as that crazy lady with the machine gun came charging down the hill." He shook his head, again with a grin threatening to break out in to a smile, "You want me to do what you ask, you let me take care of little things like getting the right kind of people in to get the job done."

"My men can be trusted," Vasquez laced his hands together, elbows propped up on the table as he stared down the merc in front of him, They understand the stakes, and what we hope to accomplish. They share the same beliefs, the same _faith_. So, I imagine it's time to broach a very important question: what do _you_ believe, Mr. Quinn?"

"I believe in getting the job done, and the crap you're giving me to do it ain't gonna cut it mate." He stood up, his six foot plus frame leaning over the desk. Ordinarily he'd have looked intimidating, but his words came to the contrary, "You wanna carry on with your crusade, fine. But I want my own team with me, proper men, real men who follow me."

"I prefer men who value cause over a pay packet," He shook his head, not moved by the man standing over him like that, "Men who fight for money tend to become…unreliable, whenever the prospect of earning more elsewhere becomes available. Even if it is the enemy making the offer."

"My guys will go where I tell 'em to go and kill who I tell 'em to kill. It doesn't matter what the reason is, if you pay 'em well enough they'll kill this Connor kid and his entire family." He paused and scoffed, taking his seat again, "And they'll do a hell of a lot better job than your guys could ever do."

"They would need to be told what they're going up against." Vasquez glared, cutting right to the heart of the matter, quickly tiring of this conversation, regretting not simply killing the man as soon as he set foot through the door. "You've seen what we're fighting against Mr. Quinn. How do you intend to explain it to them?"

"The only thing my people will need to see is the colour of your money, and the only thing they'll need to hear is my voice telling them to pull the trigger." Leaning back in his chair, he plastered a smug grin over his face, "My offer, take it or leave it. I can find work elsewhere, but we both know you'll find nobody better to take care of your little problem than me."

"It is not wise to try and dictate terms of our partnership," Vasquez ground out between gritted teeth, "Especially after arriving with news of such a spectacular failure. You may very well be a good soldier, Mr. Quinn, but you underestimated your target, as you underestimate me."

Very much to Vasquez's surprise, Quinn's smug grin spread to a full blown smile, the Australian not at all intimidated by the man's thinly veiled threat. "And you underestimate me, Mr. Vasquez. In fact, now that I know what I'm dealing with, I have a plan to take care of the boy and his family for you. But I can't do it without your co-operation."

"And what would you need for this…plan?"

Grinning, Quinn replied, "Twice what you're paying me…plus enough for six more like me."

Trying so hard to prevent his eyes from bulging, Vasquez leaned back in his chair. "You failed with twenty, now you want me to believe you will succeed with seven?" He added an eye roll for effect, "Does this plan include a nuclear strike or simply mass suicide?"

"It includes you giving me the freedom to operate. We're not going to do what you want with half arsed plans and twenty fat, drunk gringo's. Trust me," He rounded off his request with a smirk.

"I have no reason to trust you, Mr. Quinn, and those who ask for it, rarely deserve it." An icy edge crept in to his voice, giving the distinct impression that with a snap of his fingers, Quinn would cease to exist. "Yes, the men you had with you were not trained soldiers. But as their commander, you were in charge. It was your responsibility to make the correct decisions. You walked in to an ambush! This does not inspire my confidence in your 'superior' abilities."

"As I recall it was your plan to use this Dixon guy, not mine. Remember what I said abbot the mortar?" He shrugged, not in the least bit affected by Vasquez's demeanour, "Not my plan Mr. Vasquez."

"That man was the only weak link associated with the Connor family."He paused only to shake his head, "The mother and the man are soldiers, Mr. Quinn. Killers. The 'girls' are unstoppable killing machines. To attack from any other angle would be to assault their strengths, instead of their weakness."

"You see, I wouldn't have gone that way." With that he stood and made his way over to the wide window looking out over downtown L.A. and admired the scenery for a moment, "I'm the best at what I do, and you didn't hire me for my sparkling personality, did you?"

"You're good material, Mr. Quinn." He eyed the mercenary for a long moment before continuing, "And I do hate to waste good material. But if you fail me again, I may be forced to re-evaluate that belief."

Turning back from the window, Quinn formed a confident smile, "Good, I'll await payment before I contact my guys." With that, he set off towards the door to the office, "Nice seein' ya boss."

"The funds necessary to hire your men will be deposited to the usual account," The tone of his voice clearly implied his terms were non negotiable, "As well as a few crates of prototype weapons from our friends at Aegis Enterprises I believe you might find useful in engaging your non-human targets."

"Your money, on the other hand," He added with a smile, causing Quinn to stop in his tracks, much to Vasquez's satisfaction, "Will be delivered only upon completion of your task. With a twenty five percent bonus, should you complete it in a timely manner."

"You know my terms…but you do drive a hard bargain Mr. Vasquez," He turned back to face the desk and the smug grin on Vasquez's face, "Fifty percent up front."

Once again, Vasquez clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them as he contemplated the terms. His smile grew as he considered that this man's greed may very well offer him a very specific opportunity to accomplish something he hadn't yet dared to even attempt. Hell, he could always find more mercenaries should this one not come back. "Fifty percent up front. But your pay will match your assignment, and the risk you must take to accomplish it. Do you accept my terms?"

"Depends, what do you need me to do?" Quinn answered without a moment's hesitation, the opportunity to squeeze every last dollar out of this lunatic something he had no problem with.

"There is a piece of technology, very valuable to my benefactors." He leaned back in his chair again, "The little girl, the machine. The one I serve requires it for…study."

He stood and walked around his desk to look out of the window, "You bring me this thing, intact and operational, and I will not only double your payment, but provide you a permanent position as my head of security, at a yearly wage comparable to most Fortune CEO's."

Quinn stood stock still, eyeing the back of the man who'd just offered to pay him more money than he could ever imagine being able to spend, and all he had to do was bring the mini metal to him, still functional. It would mean a slight alteration to his plan, but as it happened, their ideas mostly coincided. "Done. You don't want the other one, the other metal, the pretty one?"

"No," Vasquez returned to his desk and his papers, slipping easily back in to CEO mode, "Ddestroy it if you can, it'll make it easier to kill the boy."

"You've got yourself a deal." Quinn turned around again and stepped out of the office without another word.

* * *

Nothing stirred in the small clearing out in the middle of nowhere. Nothing except a few small animals, insects, the wind in the trees and the sound of leaves rustling. Curiously, a log was propped up on it's end in the middle of the clearing, four large circles painted on it in red spray paint, the edges dripping and running down the bark slightly. A round circle close to the top, a larger oval in the middle and two thin ovals beneath. Like an old fashioned stick man.

Like a proverbial lamb to the slaughter, the 'man' had no chance, not with the amount of ordnance being aimed at it at that moment. It was however granted a reprieve as the armour piercing round impacted to the right of the log and a long way behind it.

"Your cold shot will always be a little bit wonky." Derek didn't bother to look up from his binoculars, "The temperature of the barrel is important, and you'll need to learn to adjust for it. But at least it gives you the opportunity to zero your scope. For now I'll let you try it your way, just adjust as you think you need to line up the scope with where the shot went."

John quickly glanced over at his uncle before returning his eye to the scope of Derek's Barrett M82 sniper rifle. "Since when did you get so professional?"

John and Derek had taken up a position on a nearby ridge after they'd set up the target area. When John had managed to drag Derek out of bed, not literally, Derek had decided that they needed to do something low energy for a change. His hangover and general lack of enthusiasm contributing to that somewhat.

John shifted his aim a tiny amount to the left, held in a breath and pulled the trigger. He watched through the scope as the shot whistled over the target and to the left, kicking up another puff of dirt.

"You can't adjust based on what it feels like where you're taking the shot." Derek sighed, his hangover causing a sharp pain behind his eyes every time the Barrett barked near his head, "Wind isn't constant, John. Just because it's blowing five miles an hour to the west up here, doesn't mean it is near the target. Watch the trees, the grass, see which way it's blowing, how far the limbs are bending. Then guesstimate."

"Guesstimate?" John chuckled, "You pick that one up from Jessica?"

Once again John adjusted his aim and focused on a clump of tall grass near the target, waiting for the wind to drop before he pulled the trigger.

"You can let me teach you this, or you can try to learn from Cameron." He smirked, trying to keep John off the touchy subject of the pissed off girlfriend he'd left alone in bed that morning, "She'll feed you equations until your head explodes."

"Good point." John waited for the reeds in his crosshairs to stop swaying before repeating the procedure he went through earlier, lining up his target, holding his breath and squeezing his right index finger. This time his depth was much better, although he still missed wide left.

Sighing, Derek decided his head needed a break from the constant barrage, so he sat up and leaned back against a tree beside him, "It's not just about learning to put the round on target, John. It's about knowing where to put the round _in_ the target. Military snipers are trained for A-box shots - centre mass. But where do you target a T-600?"

John shrugged, well, as best he could while laying down, "Chest? Power Source? I dunno Derek, I'm here to learn these things."

"Chest armour is too thick to penetrate from this distance, the power source is the most heavily protected part of a terminator. Headshots can destroy the chip. If you're desperate, the hydraulics powering the joints will at least disable it." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hasn't your girlfriend covered any of this shit with you? What the hell do you two do all the time?"

John merely smirked and shuffled around so he could look at his uncle behind him with a 'you really wanna know?' look on his face.

"She has detailed information on all Skynet models - including weak spots. Hasn't it ever occurred to you to take advantage of that?" Derek asked, pointedly ignoring the look, and the thoughts it provoked.

John sighed and turned back to the scope. "It's just never really came up. I've asked her about the future...probably could've picked a better time to do it. But no, we've never gone in to stuff like this."

"You should. She wouldn't mind John, the information could save your life." Lifting his binoculars up to his eyes, he checked the bullet hole from John's last shot, growing increasingly tired of waiting for him to get it right. "Screw adjusting the scope. You missed two feet left, one foot high. So just aim the next one two feet right, one foot low."

John did exactly as instructed. Once again going through his pre shot routine, pulling the trigger…and watching the shot impact way off to the right and well short of the target. He glared back over his shoulder at the man slouched against the tree trunk. "Well that advice sucked."

Without warning, Derek shuffled over and snatched the rifle up out of John's hands, not even touching the scope. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his aim slightly to make up for John's shitty calibration, then squeezed the trigger, the upper part of the log representing the head exploding into mulch a moment later.

He handed the rifle off a moment later with a cocky smile, "Or maybe your shooting just sucks."

John merely stared at his uncle as he retreated to his position against the tree. He didn't like being shown up, and Derek's attitude was starting to grate on him. "What's gotten in to you this morning? You're even more surly than usual."

"What's gotten into me?" He glared, putting his sunglasses back on, "What's gotten into you? We had a fucking firefight last night. I was... relaxing. Don't I get days off?"

"Well soooorry for thinking about the future of humanity for a change. Isn't that what you're always trying to drill in to me all the time anyway?" John bit back.

Derek snorted at that, "Yeah, I'm _sure_ that's why you dragged me out of a warm bed at six this morning."

"What's that supposed to mean" John asked, his voice sounding downright dangerous.

"You're the genius that saves the world," Derek continued glaring, "You figure it out."

John found himself getting instantly defensive, despite the fact that Derek hadn't said a word, "I told you to leave Cameron alone!"

"Is that what this is about John?" Of course Derek wasn't in the least intimidated by his nephew's little hissy fits, "Your relationship is fucked up so you're gonna try to make me as miserable as you?"

John growled and turned back to the rifle, realising his slip. He fired wherever the hell he thought might be close, wasting another expensive round in the process as the bullet flew way wide. "It's not like that."

"Then why do you seem to be purposefully trying to fuck up what I have with Jessica?" He tried so hard not to snort at John's attempt at shooting, in the end he failed miserably, "She doesn't know about this. I can't just keep disappearing at the drop of a hat."

"Then grow a pair and tell her what you really do. I'm sure she'll stick around once she knows all about us." He scoffed and shook his head, "After all, we all have to accept who we really are at some point." John really didn't want to have a fight, but Derek's shit mood and the reminder of his problems weren't really helping him in that regard. He found his emotions that he'd been neglecting lately swelling to the surface, threatening to boil over. All the things he had going on right now that he couldn't handle were affecting him more than he was willing to admit.

"I don't _have_ to be anything, John. You need to remember that. There's another one of me out there who will be around to fight." Derek was really starting to wonder how John had never considered that before, "I'm only doing this because I care. Because I owe it to Kyle."

John rolled his eyes at the mention of Kyle. It was like the guy walked on water or something. "But I have to, right," He sighed and shook his head, "Look, what in the hell do I need to do to get better at this stuff? We've been doing this for what feels like forever and it just doesn't seem to be working...I have a lot of shit on my mind."

"See, _that_ is your problem!" Derek stood up, brushing the leaves and dirt off his ass, "You expect this shit to just come to you. Because you're John fucking Connor you should just naturally be perfect at anything you try. It takes _years_ to perfect this kind of thing!"

"I'm trying aren't I? I know all the basic stuff, mom taught me all that. I just don't know how to think and fight like...well, like you." John propped the rifle down on the ground, "I can't keep freezing up like that. Somebody is gonna get hurt because of me." He immediately clammed up as he felt a huge pang of guilt over Charley, replaying the moment he hit the dirt through his mind.

"Freezing up is safer than that shit you pulled last night." The older man shook his head, wondering just how John could be so dense, "You really have no idea the kind of fanatical devotion people have for you, do you? You think that's gonna change? If Connor goes running into the line of fire, every guy who sees it is going to try to get between you and danger!"

Again John was being told what he did was wrong. What, trying to save someone is wrong? "You want me to leave Charley out there to die? Would people follow my lead if I did that all the time too?"

Derek couldn't help but feel a pang of his own, "Some day John... you'll have to send your own father to die. You'd best get your mind around losing people."

John stayed silent for a long minute or so, eventually he looked up and out towards the target. "We can't just keep going like this then can we. Something's gotta change."

"_You_ have to change." Derek rubbed his face wearily, "Being John Connor is like standing at a track switch while two trains come barreling at each other. One carries ten people, one carries a hundred. You can derail the train with ten people, killing them, or you can let them smash into each other... and everyone dies."

John again stayed quiet for a while, "I need some time to sort my head out. I, I need to get away."

Derek visibly perked up at that, imagining being able to spend some time with Jessica, hopefully making up for all this, "I think that's a good idea. Why don't you and Cameron take a little vacation? Sarah will be pissed, but fuck it, she already is."

"I...I meant some time away from her, from mom. I can't think straight when I'm too busy worrying about...everything that's going on with them."

"Oh... oh hell no!" Derek protested, already getting worked up, "You want me to skip town with you? What the fuck John, you just said you _weren't_ trying to fuck up my life!"

"I'm not. I'm just trying not to fuck up everybody else's by screwing everything up because I'm too worried about my mom getting sick and my girlfriend who I can't even bring myself to touch!" John took a deep breath, realising he'd just revealed pretty intimate details. But he didn't care in the slightest, it was nice to be able to vent once in a while, even if it was only to Derek.

Derek sighed tiredly, rubbing between his eyes. He was going to fight John on this tooth and nail, but... "God dammit. Why did you have to go and be all fucking honest with me?"

John got a half smile, "Because it's the only way you'd listen and understand. Please Derek, this is important."

"You realise that if I do this... _If_ I do this, it's only because you finally fessed up like a man." He thought back to something John said earlier, "You really think she'd stay? If she knew?"

"Do _you_ wanna try being honest for a change? Do you think she'd stay?"

"I think it scares her... my past." He answered, remembering back to their conversation in bed the night before, "And I don't know how to convince someone the world is going to end. Sarah tried that, remember? How'd it work out for her?"

"You'll have to tell her eventually. If you want her to live anyway." John said sadly, the spectre of a looming Judgement Day difficult to ignore.

"We should probably start a little smaller than that, don't you think?" He quirked a brow at John, "She wants to meet you guys. God knows why, but she does."

"When?" John asked, already turning back to the rifle.

Derek sensed he had more than a little leverage at that moment, "If I have to skip town for a while, I'd like to leave her happy rather than pissed off."

"Yeah, makes sense. I mean we wouldn't want her to think that..." He didn't get a chance to finish as Derek cut him off.

"Tonight." He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, and failing miserably, "I uh... might have let something slip I shouldn't have. I think it would help if she had something to take her mind off it."

"TONIGHT? Are you insane? Mom will freak. Hell, she might even try to kill the poor girl...God knows what Cameron will think." John's eyes flew wide, genuinely worried about this poor mystery girl who was about to have a very unpleasant experience with his family. Hell, they traumatised him sometimes, and he was used to them, loved them in fact.

"Oh come on, John. Don't you think you're overreacting just a little?" He sighed, "Sure, Sarah will be pissed, but again, what else is new? And you can keep Cameron from doing anything too aggressive. Remember, I already had Amy check her out, she's clean!"

John eyed his uncle, pretty certain he'd blown a gasket. "Whatever, I'm just not gonna be held responsible for anything that might happen. It could end up scarring her for life."

"Like _any_ dinner with us might not do that?"

John smirked a little while shaking his head. Laying back down, he picked up the rifle, took aim and fired, hitting the target square in the 'chest'. "Hey, I'm getting better!"

"Yeah." Derek could at least give him that much, he smiled, "Another few weeks you might be ready to miss moving targets instead of stationary ones."

* * *

**Damn, missed my deadline of a pre-superbowl post by about 3 minutes :(**

**Because of that this is barely proofread. Please be understanding until I can go over it properly and correct any mistakes.**

**Thanks as always to Dekardkain for his help, hopefully a new chapter of Becoming John Connor should be ready soon barring anything major happening. At least, I hope it will!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi,**

**Thanks to reviewers lje100smith, olischulu, morded, EvilTheLast, Mouse56, hollyxsuicide, The1Russter, justjoe, XxDeathStarxX, Lsquare, kaotic2, sasha starr, darkfinder, macgamer and sumofme.**

* * *

"You're up totally early today!" Emily quirked a brow as she walked past Jessica in to her apartment, "This had better be as important as you said, cause you like, totally freaked me out on the phone. Someone die?"

Jessica leaned back, pressing the door closed with her ass, giggling lightly, "No, I just need you to do my hair and makeup. I have a very special date tonight," She grinned from ear to ear, the anticipation of finally meeting Derek's family having kept her awake most of the night.

"Oooohhh," Placing a gentle hand on her friend's back, Emily ushered Jessica towards her bedroom, familiar as she was with the place. She set her down in a chair near the dresser, a large, lit mirror in front of them. Before she'd even got herself comfortable, Jessica found her friend already slipping in to their now familiar routine of dishing any and all dirt to each other while she worked. "Another one of your dad's business partner's kids?"

"It's the new guy I told you about," After glancing behind her, she realised her friend was lost, an eye roll quickly followed, "Derek."

"Ohhhh," Emily smirked, brushing Jessica's hair back with behind her head with quick, practised strokes, "I thought you were just slumming it to piss off daddy?"

Jessica couldn't keep the frown off her face, in fact if she was honest, she wanted her friend to see it in the mirror, "Daddy doesn't know about him."

"Well, I'd hope not." Emily shrugged, concentrating on setting up the curlers in Jessica's hair, "He like, works with his hands or something, doesn't he? Like people used to do before computers?"

Jessica giggled again, for someone who was always the richest kid in amongst her social group, she really did have the most level head, "Yeah, he used to be a soldier…I dunno what he does now."

"Wait," Emily scrunched up her face in confusion, "A soldier? Like, he used to shoot a gun? Kill people?"

"Well, yeah. That's what soldiers do isn't it?" Suddenly Jessica couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable at the look she was receiving from her friend in the mirror, "He fought in the war."

"Honey," Emily looked scandalised, like she'd just heard that skank arch enemy of her's Jenny Smith was dating Brad Pitt or something, "This guy could be nuts! How can you be safe with someone like that? I hear a lot of them come back crazy and violent…I saw a whole thing on it on Oprah."

Jessica merely rolled her eyes in the mirror by way of reply, "Derek would never hurt me."

"How do you know that?" Emily quickly finished with the curlers and whipped out a makeup bag the size of a small suitcase, "Does he carry a gun?"

"I uh…I don't think so." Jessica ran her fingers through one of her longer curls nervously. She really hadn't noticed if he carried a gun or not, and that thought unnerved her a little.

"You don't know? How long have you been seeing him?"

Jessica shrugged sheepishly, "About a month."

"Have you slept with him?" Emily asked, quirking an eyebrow in the reflection of the mirror.

"Well, yeah," Jessica answered, suddenly blushing furiously.

"So…let me get this straight," Emily stopped what she was doing and stood tapping an eyebrow pencil on her chin, "You've been dating the guy a month, you're having sex with him, and you don't know what he does for a living or if he's a psycho with a closet full of machine guns?"

"He's not a psycho alright!" Jessica glared up in the mirror, not really appreciating being made to feel like a scolded child by her friend, "Derek would never hurt me, or go nuts, just trust me on that."

"Well soooorrry, I'm just worried about my friend is all." She shook her head with her own eye roll, "So, on to the important stuff. Is he cute?"

"Definitely." Jessica grinned in reply, the rough stuff of a moment ago thoroughly forgotten about, "He's handsome, strong, and he has a total soldier's body on him."

"What's a 'soldier's body'?" As a rich girl, Emily had only really seen soldiers in movies, "All tattooed and scarred?"

"Well, that..." She smirked, "And his ass is as tight as a drum!"

"Ewwww," Emily smirked, swatting her friend on the shoulder while adding some blush to her cheeks, "How can you think tattoos like that are sexy? He doesn't look like some biker reject with a ponytail does he?"

Jessica couldn't help another eye roll. "You know that guy you dated a while ago, Josh I think his name was. All clean cut and handsome?"

"Yeah, he was nice." She hopped around a little, manoeuvring for better access to the makeup she was applying, "He had the most awesome Mustang!"

"Well clean cut is boring! Derek is like, the opposite. He's still handsome, but there's just something about him, you know?"

"Um... the opposite of clean is dirty, isn't it?" Emily went back to her confused gaping, "He's dirty?"

"You don't understand. He's clean, he's just not so neat. Every guy I've ever dated has never worn anything besides a suit. Derek is different, he's...rugged." Jessica's eyes sparkled when she spoke of Derek, more so than she had with any other guy, Emily noticed.

"So what? He can like, kill food himself and cook it over a fire?" She asked sceptically.

Jessica scrunched her face up, having never really thought about it before, "I dunno, I guess he could."

"Cool." She shook her head, "As long as he doesn't kill Bambi's mother or anything. So where is he taking you out? Doesn't sound like he can afford the places we normally go."

"I don't care if he can or not." She paused, a slow smile creeping across her face, "I'm meeting his family tonight."

"Wow." Emily took a step back to check over her handiwork, and it wasn't too bad if she said so herself, "So it _is_ getting serious. You're not like... pregnant, are you?"

"God I fucking hope not." Jessica smiled, the sparse frequency of her own cursing taking her by surprise, that was until she saw her friends face, "No, no, I'm not. Yeah it's getting serious, I've been nagging him to let me meet them. Tonight's the night, that's why I wanna look my best, make a good impression."

"They're probably not expecting much, are they?" Emily tilted her head to the side while ushering Jessica over towards the closet, "I mean, they're like, poor, right?"

"You are so shallow!" Jessica shook her head while being ushered, "I only get one chance to make a first impression, I wanna knock 'em off their feet."

"So give them each a hundred bucks and they'll love you forever." Emily deftly ducked under her friend's expected swat with more agility than a spoiled rich girl should have had before opening the closet with a flourish, "He doesn't have kids or anything, does he?"

"No, no, but Sarah does."

"Sarah? Oh my God, he has an ex-wife?" Emily asked, stepping back away in total shock.

"Brother's widow. He moved in to help out." Jessica clarified with a sweet smile, fond thoughts of her man popping to the forefront of her mind.

"Widow, huh?" She looked instantly suspicious, despite it being a seemingly innocent thing, "So he's living with his brother's wife and kids? Are you sure he's not screwing her? Cause I saw on Oprah that..."

"Shut up, he is not screwing his dead brother's wife alright!" Jessica scolded, making her glare visible from around the door she was partially hidden behind.

"Don't you remember that guy Trevor you dated? Wasn't he screwing his step-sister?"

"Well, he was from Alabama...but no, Derek's not screwing her. He just moved in when she was going through a rough patch, help out with the kids and stuff." Jessica explained with a shrug.

"So... he kinda does have kids then, just not HIS?" Emily seemed to be really having a problem seeing how people could live like that without ulterior motives, after all, nobody ever does that in any TV shows or anything. Sex is always involved somewhere, the sexy widow being a pretty definite scenario.

"_She _has kids," Jessica rolled her eyes, unseen to Emily, "He's their favourite Uncle Derek of course."

"Well at least you know he can handle rugrats." She shrugged, idly tossing out three dresses she liked, "What are you guys gonna..."

Jessica stopped her digging through her closet when the doorbell rang, she quickly double checked her alarm clock beside her bed, "Oh shit. That took a while, didn't it?"

"What time is it? Oh God, I am so fucking late." She scurried to the door, still in dressing gown, opening it to reveal a surprised looking Derek. "Uh, hi, Babe."

"You're..." He glanced over her shoulder to see another woman peeking out from behind the wall, he quirked a brow at his girlfriend, "Why aren't you dressed yet? Sarah said dinner would be ready in forty-five minutes, the drive takes at least thirty."

"I know, I know, we just got talking and..." She stepped back from the door, "Come on in, meet my friend."

Derek for his part looked a little reluctant to speak to anyone, but he didn't want to piss Jessica off, "Uh... hi. I'm Derek, Jessica's..."

They hadn't really discussed it before, but he just decided to take a leap, "Boyfriend."

Emily stepped forward, her eyes roaming appreciatively, for the first time seeing why Jessica seemed to like the guy. "Hi, I'm Emily, your...girlfriend's best friend." She held out her hand for Derek to take.

Derek nodded kind of curtly, accepting her hand, just wanting Jessica to get dressed so they could leave, "Nice to meet you. Babe, are we gonna be good to go soon or should I tell Sarah to hold the food?"

"Uh..." Jessica looked around, she still had no clue what she was wearing for the night, she didn't want to start badly though by jerking Sarah around, "No, we should be good."

Trying desperately to fight off an eye roll, and being mostly successful, Derek yelled in to the bedroom, "You do realise this isn't a premiere, right? We'll be lucky if Sarah's shirt has sleeves and John decides to wear pants to the table."

"Oooh, lucky you Jess, not one but two to keep you occupied." Emily smiled, bumping Jessica's shoulder, not realising John was in fact seventeen and thoroughly unavailable.

"Um... Em, John is Derek's nephew," Jessica turned bright red, ducking into the closet to tear through her mountain of dresses, "He's a kid."

Emily sighed defeatedly, "Damn, I thought a double date was on the cards," she smirked teasingly at Derek, making him uncomfortable beyond belief.

"He's seventeen... and taken." He forced a smile, really not understanding how someone as smart as Jessica could stand to be around this woman, "So, you work with Jess?"

Emily scoffed very unladylike, "Work?" She turned to Jessica, "This guy's funny, where'd you find him again?"

"He was doing security at one of Mr. Carlson's parties." Jessica hollered from the closet, neglecting to tell the truth about Derek lying to her through his teeth when they first met.

"Security huh? I'll bet you look cute in a uniform." Suddenly out of nowhere Derek's uncomfortableness rose when Emily developed a sexy little smile aimed solely in his direction.

Derek was honestly starting to wonder if all rich girls went crazy at the sight of a normal guy, shaking his head in disbelief, "I haven't worn one of those in a long time."

Jessica rushed out of the closet holding up three dresses for Emily's approval, "Red, blue, or black?"

Emily managed to tear her attention away from the new piece of ass standing in front of her for a moment, not really bothering to even look properly, "Black."

Instead she turned back to Derek, "So, you're a soldier huh? You know I always thought soldier's were sexy," She wandered towards him, taking up an uncomfortably close position to him.

Derek glanced over to Jessica for help, but she'd already rushed off to the bathroom to change, "Uh... yeah. So does your best friend. She tells me that all the time."

"Jess has always had good taste. Who knows, I might have to steal you from her. My last boyfriend was a total douche."

Derek frowned pointedly, but the soldier in him was unwilling to back away from some rich model friend of Jessica's, "Who's to say I'm not a total douche? You just met me."

Grinning with one hand on her hip, Emily approached closer, looking up at him from behind her lashes, "Well, maybe you are, but Jessica seems to like you. She's always had good taste."

Derek actually did back off a little, oddly cowed by such a small woman, "Yeah, and she prefers the faithful type. I think that's why she calls me her... Scruffy Puppy."

Emily covered her mouth with her hand and sniggered, "Hey Jess!"

Jessica poked her head out from the bathroom, only half-dressed, "What? Derek, I said I'd be out in a minute. You can't rush perfection!"

"Jess," She turned and looked behind her, "Scruffy Puppy? Really?" Emily asked, continuing to snigger.

Jessica quirked a brow, looking like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world, "Um... yeah? Look at him, is that not a scruffy puppy?"

Derek just groaned by way of reply, "Jess..."

Emily's sniggering finally subsided, "Yeah, I guess he is. Cute though," She said with a smile and a shrug towards Jessica.

"Cuter if he hadn't worn that faded Army jacket to the most important dinner of my life..." Jessica's voice trailed off as she stepped back into the bathroom, mumbling to herself about Derek not taking this seriously.

"Well I think you're cute," Emily stepped even closer, glancing back to make sure that her friend was out of earshot. "You know, if it doesn't work out with her, gimme a call sometime."

"Um.. you do realise I'm taking her to meet my family, right?" Derek could barely believe that this was the kind of person Jessica had as a best friend, "It's pretty serious."

Emily shrugged, not at all deterred by his statement, "Whatever," She stepped back with a sly smile, "Hey Jess, your doggy is getting impatient."

Jessica stepped out of the bathroom with a sigh, running her hands nervously down the front of her dress, "Now, I didn't have time to go all out, and I don't know what kind of style Sarah likes, but I think simple and black is something all women can get behind. Oh God, what about Cameron? She's young, she probably has a whole different style..."

Meanwhile Derek's jaw had pretty much hit the floor as soon as she stepped out, fortunately though he managed to flap it around a little until words came out, interrupting her. "You're..." He eyed her up and down again, "Beautiful."

She did look beautiful, wearing a long black dress, the hem of which draped behind her. Simple straps over her shoulders showed just the right amount of skin, and it fit beautifully, accenting her figure in all the right places.

"Thank you." Jessica stepped forward and kissed him gently, rubbing the stubble on his cheek with a playful sigh as she glanced at his clothes, "I know you own a suit, so what's with this?"

"I eat dinner with them all the time. What's with all this?" He waved a hand in the general direction of her dress which looked more expensive than his last two trucks combined.

"I want to make a good impression!" She swatted at his chest, "You don't want your family to think you're hooking up with someone dirty, do you?"

"Well" He answered with a smirk, "John might..."

"John already has a little girlfriend." She smiled over at Emily, "You should see his nieces and nephew Em, they're soooooo cute!"

"Yeah, great." Emily had been quietly simmering, first at how great Jessica looked, secondly at how totally in love the couple seemed to be.

"So, am I forgetting anything?" She glanced around almost frantically, snatching up her purse and her cellphone off it's charging cradle, "I've got my phone, a backup pair of shoes, makeup for any touch-ups, digital camera to mark the occasion..."

"Trust me, they're not a picture type of family. I'd just uh...leave the camera behind...seriously." He added a nod for good measure.

"Really?" She pouted, fiddling with the camera in her hands, "But... you had pictures of them."

"Yeah, one, and I took that just to show you. Really, it's fine, just don't bring the camera. Not just yet anyway."

Rolling her eyes with a smirk, Jessica tossed the camera it into her dresser drawer, "You make it sound like they're wanted by the FBI Derek. They're just kids."

Derek chuckled nervously, "FBI, that'd be weird. No, we're just not big on pictures...spare shoes, really? What's wrong with the ones you're wearing?" He asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

Looking at Derek like he'd just said the world was flat and inhabited by undead squirrels, Jessica explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "In case I get something on this pair, or break a heel, or realise someone else is wearing the same pair? Come on, Derek. Think."

Derek rolled his eyes, "Of course, what was I thinking." Smiling, he offered her his arm, "So, you ready? We're only ten minutes late, I can make that time up on the drive."

"Oooohhhh, I love it when you drive fast!" Getting that giddy grin she usually wore around Derek, Jessica tossed her arm through his, "Oh, hey. I almost forgot. Do you have a gun? Ems seems to think _all_ soldiers carry them around, but I've never seen one on you."

"Well..." Derek stalled, frantically trying to come up with something believable, "I guess I just didn't want to scare you." He shrugged, flashing her his puppy dog eyes for added effect.

"Wait, so you do own a gun?" She quirked a brow, not really upset, just surprised. Then she suddenly remembered that picture of him on his phone, "Um... how many exactly?"

He shrugged, "It's not important." He gave his watch a cursory glance, "Come on, we really are running late." He grabbed her hand and started tugging towards the door.

No sooner had they left her apartment than Derek let out a huge, and audible sigh of relief as they headed towards the elevators.

Jessica glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, she'd never seen him looking so nervous…and she had a feeling she knew why. "Did Ems hit on you?"

Caught slightly off guard, Derek almost choked on his own tongue, however after recovering he still tried to play it cool, "What? No, of course not."

Hoping that was the end of it, he turned his attention forward and hit the button for the elevator…several times.

"Come on Derek, it's alright…she hit on you didn't she?" Jessica asked, squaring her shoulders to face him.

"Well…"

"I knew it!" Jessica declared cutting off whatever it was he was about to say.

"Look, Jess, she just…"

Once again she cut him off, threading her arm through his, "It's okay Derek."

"It is?" He asked, somewhat sceptical for obvious reasons.

"Yeah, she always does that. Any time I have something new and shiny she just can't keep her hands off of it..or him." She answered, tugging herself closer to his arm, laying her head on his shoulder.

"So, why are you friends with her Jess?" Derek asked, breathing a much quieter sigh of relief this time.

Jessica shrugged, looking up at him, "Because I have been since we were old enough to know what friends are. I love her."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Derek couldn't believe how odd his night had been so far. Unfortunately for him, he had a feeling it was about to get a whole lot worse.

* * *

_Would she prefer pink, red perhaps…purple?_

It was an odd dilemma for Cameron to be facing, and something she never, ever thought she'd have to go through. Why was she put in this situation, why was it even a concern? It was quite beyond her reckoning as she scanned her dresser for an appropriate item.

It wasn't like she didn't have a personal preference, and it wasn't like she didn't have an opinion on what would look 'tight', but she couldn't work out just what Sarah would choose or prefer. In fact, she was taken completely by surprise by the request in the first place.

Picking up an unopened pink, she turned it around in her hands, superimposing it on to Sarah in her HUD and considering if it was an appropriate choice. Deciding it wasn't quite her, she set it back down and picked up a black, once again unopened.

Satisfied this was indeed the correct choice, she turned on a heel and started making her way back to Sarah's bedroom. When she arrived, she found a half dressed Sarah currently leaning over, squinting in her mirror at her face, the cyborg not having bothered to knock before entering. "Sarah?"

"Did you get what I asked?" Sarah asked without even bothering to look back, also seemingly not bothered by the cyborg seeing her in a state of undress. After all, she was a soldier, she just got on with it. It wasn't like Cameron was going to take pictures and spread them all over the internet or anything.

"I did…what are you doing?" Cameron enquired with a tilt of her head.

"Nothing. Give it here.." Sarah answered, holing out her hand behind her, still staring at herself in the mirror.

Cameron handed over the small bottle of black nail polish with a frown, apparently manners were at a premium today. So much so that John had just breezed past her when he'd came home, citing the reason of a 'mission to prepare for' so he could pretty much avoid having that talk Cameron was intent on making him endure.

"Thanks…for a minute I thought you were going to come back with purple or something." Sarah joked, her eyes flicking to Cameron in the mirror.

The cyborg's face betrayed nothing, but internally she congratulated herself for having excellent taste as she sat herself down on the edge of Sarah's bed, after clearing a small space for herself in amongst Sarah's clothes.

Catching sight of Cameron staring at her in the mirror like a little lost puppy, Sarah glanced over her shoulder as she carried on getting ready for the evening. "You're programmed to…fool people, right?"

With a trademark curious tilt of her head, Cameron answered as neutrally as possible, "Yes, I'm an infiltrator, it's what we do."

"Well I'm not." Slamming the bottle of nail polish down suddenly on the desk with all the frustration of a monk on a visit to the Playboy mansion, she could've sworn even Cameron jumped a little at her reaction. "Derek fed this girl a line of bullshit about me being a stay at home mother to you, Amy and John. How in the hell am I supposed to pull that off?" She asked with an exasperated shake of her head.

"You have been a mother to John for many years," Cameron calmly replied after a moment's consideration, subtly eyeing her bottle of nail polish Sarah had just slammed without cause on the dresser…she liked that colour. "How is this any different?"

"It just is!" Sarah replied, rounding on Cameron like a scolding mother. Rubbing her face in irritation, she slowly turned back to face her mirror. Leaning forward slightly, she found herself irrationally displeased with the lines under her eyes she'd never really paid much attention to until now. "I buy my clothes for tactical utility, and maybe for a little slice of vanity, not a PTA meeting. I just don't _look_ like a stay at home mother, now do I?"

Taking a few seconds to scan Sarah from top to toe, Cameron managed to summon up a response she was sure wouldn't offend. "Perhaps you just work out a lot. Many women these days can look good while still maintaining their daily household duties."

Sarah rolled her eyes, the cyborg sounded like she was reciting that from a magazine. The worst part of it was that Sarah realised she probably _was_ reciting it from a magazine. "And my clothes?" Sarah asked impatiently.

"You have a lot of free time, you shop," Cameron responded like she was stating the perfectly obvious, "You prefer practicality over…" She paused, once again trying to summon up the correct phrase to dispel any possible reaction, "Flamboyance."

With a quick glance over her shoulder, Sarah, unable to forget their conversation at the mall about the merits of choosing one particular set of underwear over another, eyed the cyborg warily. "And you prefer…flamboyance? Or is it that John does?"

Sarah watched as Cameron's normally placid face twisted in to a glare, aimed right at her reflection in the mirror. "I prefer it because John has a…an attraction to it."

Cameron wasn't at all happy with Sarah's unappreciative attitude, especially as she was just trying to help the woman. She was the one who'd initiated the conversation, and yet Sarah felt the need to use it to get in a little derision of the metal, or at least that's what it felt like to her.

"Do you require a loan of something more appropriate? I have many garments that would fit you…" Cameron's eyes sank lower, subtly running a quick body mass scan. Her eyes snapped back up to Sarah's as she turned around, the same moment Cameron realised that her 'many' statement was probably something of an embellishment.

With a sigh, Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose, "You don't think that would just look _more_ odd? A thir…an older woman, wearing clothes like that?"

Tilting her head just a fraction to the opposite side than it was before, Cameron's shoulders rose and fell in time with a quirked brow, "Are you concerned that it would be uncomfortable? They are the latest fashion, Katie from the store assured me they are 'so in right now'.

Sarah almost had to stop herself laughing at the way Cameron deadpanned a statement like that. But it was actually her words that made her realise how ridiculous she was being, after all, what the hell did she care what some spoilt little rich model thought of her. If she got too close to her, the killing machine giving her fashion advice could take care of the problem.

_Damn crow's feet._

"Fuck it, hand me a tank top."

Standing up with her usual fluid grace, Cameron turned and scanned the bed where it seemed that Sarah had half her wardrobe laid out. She idly wondered if this was a trait all human women shared, the need to see every item of clothing before choosing one to wear. She imagined it might be, after all, human women weren't capable of creating and updating a database in their minds containing every item of clothing they owned. It was a sad day for Cameron when they had to move and leave their old house. Purging her database was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. Building her wardrobe back up would take forever.

Refocusing on her task, Cameron noticed an oddity. Sarah wasn't one for much colour, in fact, her choice was very limited. "Black or white?" Scanning the bed again to make sure she hadn't missed anything and moving around the odd item, Cameron confirmed those were in fact her only choices, "You don't seem to have much variation in your attire."

"I don't _need_ much variation. It's not like I go out," Sarah glanced over her shoulder again, she wasn't in the mood to have her lack of social life shoved in her face by Cameron of all people. "Derek does enough of that for the both of us. Black will be fine."

Handing off the closest black top to Sarah, Cameron examined her, searching for any way to improve her appearance, "Are you planning on altering your hairstyle for the evening? I have straighteners if you'd like to borrow them." Cameron offered with an innocent smile, genuinely thinking she was being helpful, "It's the hardest part to get right."

"Yeah I remember you saying," Turning back to the cyborg with a clear 'WTF?' face, Sarah stared for a long moment, Cameron's gaze and smile unwavering, before donning the top and yanking her hair back in to a loose ponytail, "And my 'style', is just fine, thank you."

Cameron's smile grew, somebody's gratitude other than John's was a refreshing change, "You're welcome." Eager to build on the improved mood, Cameron glanced down and back up again, "Perhaps a nicer pair of shoes?"

Sarah's expression only tilted further towards its intended meaning, "Who the hell is going to notice my boots?"

"You're right," Cameron answered with a sage nod, "Katie also said that boots are making a comeback."

She sat back down on the edge of Sarah's bed, idly wondering if Katie's statement meant that Cameron could be considered some sort of trend setter, after all, boots were very much a part of her style, "What do you know of Derek's new friend?"

Quirking a brow at her future daughter in law in the mirror, Sarah was at least willing to go as far as throwing on some makeup as she talked, "Other than the fact they're fucking?"

"Yes," Cameron responded without a moment's hesitation, "Although John prefers the term, 'making love'."

Almost choking on her own tongue, Sarah managed to recover after a couple of subtle coughs and a firm thud to her chest with a closed fist. "That implies the people doing it are actually in love. You really think Derek and some ditsy model type care about each other beyond what part fits where?"

Ignoring the comment, she knew Sarah wasn't fully aware of her…issues, Cameron continued on. "Derek Reese has risked a lot by agreeing to bring her here. He at least trusts her…and us, enough for nothing inappropriate to happen."

"She's a rich fashion model Cameron," Sarah glanced back over her shoulder, eyed the girl for a moment before turning back with a scoff, "It's pretty unlikely she was working with Skynet. Besides, I have no idea what he could possibly see in this girl."

"Her appearance perhaps?" Cameron offered with a tilt of her head, she knew first hand just how powerful physical attraction could be, especially in the case of human males.

"And we're right back to the fact they can't possibly be in love with each other." Sarah countered, bobbing her head in agreement with her own statement. Growling under her breath, she finished her makeup off, what little of it there was, and made her way over to the bed, perching herself beside Cameron and setting to work pulling on and lacing up her boots. "Which means that Derek is risking exposing us for a booty call."

"Perhaps she has more endearing qualities we aren't aware of. People are often different than others assume, we'll find out tonight." Turning around, Cameron couldn't help but wonder just where that little tidbit had emerged from. In a way, she was comparing herself to Derek's new friend, was there more beneath the surface to be discovered with her too? Cameron hoped not, disposing of somebody as supposedly wealthy as her would have its complications.

Twisting her body around to look behind her, Cameron started poking through a nearby pile of clothes, searching for something to make Sarah's outfit suitably 'tight'.

Finishing up her boots, Sarah rose to find Cameron fiddling with a pile of her clothes. Ignoring the odd behaviour, she stood and walked over to her closet. Instead of reaching to open the door, she instead lifted the crappy ten dollar painting off the wall to reveal the hollowed out cavity behind, storing some of her favourite 'accessories'. Quickly perusing her choices, she selected an accessory of the 9mm variety, something that wouldn't be sticking out of her pants all night. "What are you doing?"

Cameron glanced up and noticed the quizzical look on Sarah's face in the mirror. "Looking for something to improve your outfit."

Deciding that a little extra firepower may be necessary, as was her usual stance when it came to, well, pretty much everything, Sarah also snagged an extra pistol small enough to tuck in her boot and replaced the painting on the wall. Crouching over to tuck the pistol in to her footwear, she looked up at Cameron, who had resumed her digging, "My outfit is just fine."

Setting yet another white tank top down on the bed, Cameron frowned at Sarah's very distinct lack of ambition when it came to looking good. Amy would have the machine equivalent of a heart attack if she knew Sarah was this disinterested in her appearance. Standing up from the bed with a tiny growl of frustration, Cameron scanned Sarah with a small tilt of her head, when the perfect item to improve her outfit came to her. "Wait here."

Before Sarah even had a chance to protest, or even to question, Cameron had disappeared from the room. Oddly enough, rather than just ignoring the instruction and doing whatever she pleased, Sarah found herself rooted to the spot, feeling rather awkward despite the fact she was alone. But Cameron was just trying to help, the least she could do was comply with her request.

Cameron returned a moment later, rounding the door frame with the merest ghost of a smile adorning her lips. She held her outstretched arm towards Sarah, "Here."

She waited for Sarah to accept her gift almost on autopilot before continuing as Sarah turned it over in her hands. "I bought it the last time we went clothes shopping."

Sarah examined the small, delicate looking necklace in her hands. The small pendant hanging from it reflecting the light in the room nicely. She couldn't help but be surprised, it was actually really nice. She looked up at the satisfied looking cyborg, a question readily apparent on her face, "I didn't realise you wore much jewellery."

"I don't, but I'm always trying new things. I like new things." Cameron answered, standing stock still and waiting for a response. Any response would've done, be it a 'thank you', or even a small sign of appreciation for her efforts, or her excellent taste and eye for accessories.

"It's uh…nice." Quickly slipping the necklace on, Sarah straightened it around her neck and looked up to find Cameron smiling approvingly. Sarah rolled her eyes, it was almost too much to bare, "I'd limit it to necklaces though, Cameron. I'd hate to see what your style of fighting would do to a ring."

Cameron's smile suddenly faded, replaced by a look of…curiosity. Would a ring look good on her hand? Could she wear one and still perform her job? It was a bridge she'd have to cross eventually, only one ring sprung to mind that she desired, however. It was a curious thought that flashed through her mind, the vision of her John slipping a ring on to her finger was something she found to be quite appealing.

_One step at a time, Cameron._

Shaking herself from her reverie, and quite frankly, fantasies, her ears detected the familiar sound of a truck pulling in to the driveway. "Derek is here."

With a dramatic sigh and one final smoothing down of her top, Sarah made sure both her weapons were very much concealed. "Alright, let's get this over with. You go downstairs and check her out, make sure she's, you know, not a cyborg or anything."

Assigned her task, Cameron left the room with nothing more than a small nod. On her way down the stairs towards the front door, she heard a distinct commotion as Sarah entered John's room unannounced. Apparently John wasn't ready for dinner yet.

Carrying on down the stairs with the unintentional stealth of a B-2 bomber, Cameron made her way to the door. Surprising herself by self consciously ensuring her outfit was still in all it's perfection, she had to use all of her reflexes to narrowly avoid the opening door clipping the tip of her nose. Watching it swing past her, she turned her attention to the couple on the front step. A tilt of her head and a stare was all it took for a clearly nervous Derek to try and force a convincing smile.

"Hey there." Derek greeted, using his free hand to wave vaguely in her direction, glancing around behind her in to the house nervously.

"Derek," Cameron greeted with a curt nod before turning her stare to the young woman nervously clutching to Derek's other hand. It was such an odd sight for Cameron to behold, that after a moment, her eyes shifted down to the pair's joined hands and then back up to her face.

Trying and failing to suppress a convulsive gulp, Derek put on a good natured smile and shrugged, "Uh, Jess, this is Cameron. Cameron, Jessica."

Jessica put on her best model perfect smile, really hoping it was coming off as sincere. She really wanted to make a good impression on Derek's family, and yet, she couldn't help but feel intimidated by this wisp of a girl standing before her, metaphorically holding the keys to the castle. "Hi Cameron, heard a lot about you," Jessica greeted, holding her hand out for Cameron to take.

Ignoring the offered hand, Cameron shifted her blank stare to Derek where it morphed to a more menacing expression. With a quick tilt of her head, she returned her attention to the woman still holding out her hand, "_What_ have you heard?"

"Oh, uh…" Jessica answered a little shakily, withdrawing her hand feeling more than a little hurt and frankly discouraged that it wasn't taken. "Just that you were a…nice girl," She shrugged rather pathetically, unable to come up with anything else to say. She knew very little about the girl, such was Derek's inability to divulge details about his life, however the small details she did know she wasn't sure she should bring up. The subject of the asshole boyfriend who refused to touch her since she was injured at the forefront of that list, that and the apparent obsession with her brother.

After taking a moment, Cameron nodded once as a sign of her acceptance, a small portion of her 'scary robot face' fading, "Your dress is…noticeable."

Noticing the young woman's eyes trailing downwards over her body, Jessica matched her gaze, smiling, "Uh, thank you." She wasn't quite sure if 'noticeable' was a compliment or not, but she chose to think of it as one, desperate to cling to any positive out of this pretty dismal first impression so far. "You look nice too. Derek told me you like to look your best."

"Some of us take pride in our appearance." Cameron's eyes quickly shifted to Derek and his faded army jacket, her face twisting ever so slightly in to a look of disdain.

With a roll of his eyes, Derek stepped forward, almost to the point of trying to push past Cameron. "Alright, enough introductions…sweetie," he said through gritted teeth to Cameron, "Come on in Jess."

Tugging Jessica by the hand, almost yanking her from her spot on the step, Derek brushed past Cameron, glaring at her the entire way, unseen to Jessica.

Cameron remained rooted to the spot for a moment, staring at the back of Derek's head like she genuinely couldn't understand why he appeared to be annoyed. Her questioning was perfectly valid, after all, humans were stupid, at least compared to her. Closing the door quietly, she followed the couple in to the living room to find Derek, in an uncharacteristically gentlemanly action, helping Jessica remove her coat. Cameron couldn't help a small huff of disappointment, her frame was much too lithe to house a standard Terminator.

Dropping a quick kiss on Jessica's cheek and folding her coat over his arm, Derek took off towards the closet, "Is uh…mom around?"

Head cocking to the side a fraction, Cameron stared at him as he walked past her. She knew she had to keep up the pretence of being Sarah's daughter, and Derek's niece, but she found it oddly fascinating how committed Derek was to the lie, all to protect a girl who would most likely be perishing in a few years anyway. That was unless he had other ideas in mind for her on Judgement Day. "She's upstairs, John isn't ready yet."

A tiny smirk crept across her face as her advanced brain formulated a plan, "Why don't you go upstairs and check on them…I'll stay here," Her eyes flicked quickly to Jessica and then back to Derek.

Looking like a deer caught in headlights, Derek froze. He couldn't exactly deny a suggestion as 'innocent' as that without it looking odd. He was certain Jessica was already suspicious about his past, what he really did and where he disappeared off to for hours at a time. If he said no, he may as well have plastered 'liar' on to his forehead for her to read. "Uh…sure, I guess."

Cameron watched him ascend the stairs, the pair's eyes locked until he disappeared from view, taking the last few steps extra slow and craning his neck to keep the cyborg in his vision until the last possible moment. Eventually though he had to depart, leaving Cameron alone in the room with a satisfied smile. Quickly clearing her face, she slowly turned to Jessica, who wore a similar deer in the headlights look as the one Derek had sported a moment earlier. It gave Cameron more satisfaction than it should have that she was able to provoke that reaction in people, especially people she wasn't familiar with. Intimidation is a powerful weapon.

Taking small steps, she approached Jessica slowly, almost predatory, circling around to the far side of her. Jessica found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the girl, she had an imposing presence despite her relatively small stature. Cameron spoke, startling Jessica slightly, "It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Jessica stammered by way of reply, fighting the urge to back away, the primal, survival part of her brain kicking in. For the life of her, she couldn't work out just why she felt so uncomfortable around this girl, she looked about a hundred pounds dripping wet. Instead of her usual calm demeanour, she found herself rambling uncharacteristically, "I've been bugging Derek for weeks now. He's always talking about you guys, and there's so much love there…he's a really nice guy, you know? I really like him a lot…"

Cameron interrupted her with a nod and a sweet smile, "I love my uncle Derek. Did you know he kept you a secret from us?" She enquired innocently.

"He…what?" Jessica asked, taken aback by her statement, unable to completely hide the hurt from her expression and her voice, "No, I didn't know that. But Derek seems to have a lot of those…secrets, I mean."

"Yes, his past is a difficult subject for him to discuss," Cameron agreed with a nod and a sad looking smile, "Has he ever discussed it with you?" Her sweet and polite voice came in stark contrast to what Jessica was hearing and seeing as Cameron took a small step closer to the other woman, seemingly towering over her, despite the fact they were roughly the same height, and Jessica was in heels.

"Um, he uh…he said he fought with your dad in the war." Jessica shrugged sheepishly, assuming of course that it was her connection to her deceased father that was causing her to be a little sensitive when it came to the past, "That's where he got his scars."

"During the war?" Cameron asked, her gaze locked on the older woman.

"Yeah." Jessica replied sympathetically, although she was pretty sure this girl hadn't blinked since Derek left and it unnerved her that she was even noticing silly little things like that, "I heard Iraq was hell. I'm…sorry about your dad."

Jessica seemed to shrink under Cameron's intense stare. Working through her available data, Cameron decided that the girl was telling the truth, despite her obvious intimidation. In a way, she was glad, disposing of her body would be a chore, and she had far more important things to worry about, like getting John to speak to her properly again. Donning a sweet, innocent smile, all traces of the scary robot gone, Cameron held out her hand, offering the couch to Jessica, "John and mom will be down soon, please, have a seat."

Releasing a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding, Jessica carefully smoothed her dress under her legs and took a seat, "And um…Amy, is it? Your little sister?"

"Yes, but she isn't upstairs, she's in the back garden…I'll just go get her, she needs to wash her hands before dinner." Widening her smile, Cameron turned on a heel and set off towards the kitchen and the back door, leaving Jessica alone with her thoughts and slightly sweaty palms.

"I can't believe you pulled this shit on me, Reese." Sarah scolded in a hushed whisper as she descended the stairs, glancing back over her shoulder at John, "And you! I don't know what Derek has on you, but backing him on this bullshit? With everything else that's going on? Still not inspiring my confidence in your decision making ability."

"Hey," John protested, his hands raised in the air as a sign of his innocence, "Don't blame me for this, I'm not the one dating her."

"Oh no, you're just dating the cyborg sent back in time to…holy shit!" Stopping dead on the stairs, John almost barreling in to the back of her, Sarah couldn't quite believe what her eyes were telling her when she caught her first glimpse of Jessica sitting primly on the couch. She was in such a state of surprise, shock and disbelief that she actually had to look from Derek to Jessica several times just to confirm what it was she was seeing.

Jessica, hearing the commotion, stood up and self consciously smoothed down the front of her dress. Not that she wasn't used to being looked at, but the way the woman standing at the bottom of the stairs who she assumed was Sarah was looking at her, she was almost sure there was something very wrong with the way she looked, "Uh, hi." She offered with a smile, getting more and more worried by the looks and slack jawed stares she'd been on the receiving end of so far this evening.

After a few seconds, Sarah's face morphed in to something remarkably similar to Cameron's, cool and distant, only reinforcing the notion that she was indeed Cameron's mother. Descending the last few steps, Sarah extended her hand slowly with a tight smile to accompany it, "You must be Jessica."

With a small nod, Jessica shuffled forward, the hem of her dress dragging along the floor behind her. "I am. Sarah, right?"

Reaching out with more than a little trepidation, Jessica slowly and carefully took her hand with a forced smile. Although, she was infinitely less intimidated by the supposedly badass Sarah than she was by the cute little daughter, Cameron. It ought to have been the other way around.

"Yes." Nodding once and giving the young woman's hand a firm shake, very firm in fact. Jessica couldn't help but notice her handshake more resembled that of a strong man, never mind a slim, thirty something woman. Trying not to wince, she formed a smile as Sarah gripped, squeezed, then pumped twice. If she'd been wearing dog tags, she would've been so sure she'd met Kyle in the military. Her outfit and general appearance wouldn't have looked out of place on an army base out in the middle of the Afghan desert as far as she was concerned.

It was about that time that Derek had managed to tear his attention away from the scene of his girlfriend meeting Sarah Connor for the first time. Glancing to his left, he found the curious sight of the future leader of all humanity staring at Jessica the same way he'd gawked at her the first time they met. The difference between then and now being that she wasn't Derek's girlfriend yet, and he didn't much appreciate her being looked at like she was a piece of meat, especially by his nephew.

Shaking his head, Derek's elbow shot out at an impressive pace, physically and mentally knocking John out of his trance like state. Snapping his head around to glare at his uncle while rubbing the now sore spot on his ribs, John spoke in a hushed whisper, "What?"

"That's my girlfriend you're drooling over," Derek answered as it was totally obvious what he was pissed at, shaking his head harshly, "And if _yours_ sees you staring like that, mine won't survive the night."

"Alright, alright, jeez," John replied, holding his hands up defensively as he barrelled forward, almost knocking Sarah over such was his haste to greet Jessica. "Hi, I'm John," He greeted excitedly.

"Wow," Jessica replied with a genuine smile, the poor girl just thrilled to be greeted nicely by someone in the family. It was a grand departure from the cold and downright unfriendly vibes she'd been getting so far, "You said he looked like his father Derek, but you didn't tell me he was so cute! You must have to beat the girls off with a stick, huh John?"

Blushing several shades of red like he'd just been busted on the job, John chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "Yeah, I'm always beating off…beating them off…beating the girls off…with a stick! Yeah, a stick!" Once again he chuckled nervously, if anything blushing all the more, the sheer beauty of the woman making him act like a little boy all over again.

Sporting a delightful chuckle herself, Jessica reached out and patted him on the shoulder, probably not realising that the last thing the poor boy needed right then was physical contact. But despite it all, Jessica was starting to feel more comfortable around these people, if only slightly, turning to Sarah with a smile, "Cameron said she went to get little Amy. How old is she again?"

Sarah froze in a very uncharacteristic slip of preparation. She had no clue how old Amy was supposed to be, Derek had neglected to mention exactly what he'd told the girl, "She's uh…"

Seeing Sarah struggle, Derek mentally kicked himself for his slip. He jumped in to bail her out, "She's eight, and as cute as a button, you'll love her."

"Yeah, of course, she's eight," Sarah agreed with a nod and a smile, "You lose track you know, they grow up so fast." Despite the situation, Sarah couldn't help but smile when she glanced to her side to see her son. She smiled more at his boyish behaviour than anything else. It was nice to see him smile…especially when it was someone or something besides Cameron causing it these days.

"I'm sure I will." Jessica brought out her winning smile, making it obvious to everyone just why she was a model, "You have such a beautiful family, Sarah. You must be very proud. Though I have to say, for twins, I expected John and Cameron to look more…similar."

Sarah shrugged, putting her genuine smile to the side, replacing it with the same tight smile she'd sported earlier. "Genetics are a bitch."

Her expression as she glanced over to Derek read 'twins, really?'. Derek merely shrugged apologetically in reply.

"I guess they are," Jessica looked a little sheepish, totally unsure if she'd just offended Sarah or not, "Your home is beautiful."

"Yeah, great place, great kids, great…everything." Derek grabbed everyone's attention with a roll of his eyes. He was the one out of the group who had the most riding on this. After all, Jessica could always go back to her normal life, as could his family. But he knew deep down he would never, _ever_ get a shot with a woman as special as Jessica as long as he lived. He just wanted to get it all over with as quickly as possible, "So, dinner ready?"

Sarah glanced down at her watch, easily ignoring Derek's obvious uncomfortableness, "Well it will be soon, or we get it for free…"

She glanced around, finding everyone suddenly staring at her, "What? I burned the roast. We could still have that if you'd like, but the pizza is on it's way."

Jessica cut in quickly, trying to be gracious, "Oh no, that's perfect. We love pizza, don't we Derek? Always stuffing our faces!"

Sarah shrugged, not bothered in the least if she'd just declared she loved to eat Bulgarian baby moose for dinner, "Yeah well, you know, it was short notice and everything. Derek only saw fit to inform us you were invited to dinner about an hour ago."

Jessica spun on a heel towards her boyfriend, her dress swishing out behind her, "Derek? Why would you do that to them? Doesn't this woman have enough to worry about, raising three children, without you throwing this on her last minute? And Cameron said they didn't even know about me!"

Derek uncharacteristically stood slack jawed for a moment, his normally combat ready and effective brain turned to mush. He wasn't sure if it was the waft of her perfume as she spun around or the berating she was giving him, but he found himself unable to formulate any kind of plan that might get him off the hook.

Fortunately he was saved by the back door opening with a slam off the wall and Amy barreling in through it, practically sprinting in to the living room before coming to a sudden, screeching halt. Cameron followed behind a moment later after closing the door, but even she was surprised when a little blonde blur shot by her and clung to the back of her legs. She held up her hands, unsure what was happening, that was until Amy's head peeked out, eyeing the new arrival warily before disappearing again. Anybody could mistake her behaviour as that of a shy child, but Cameron was fairly sure she could make out a tiny smirk on the little machine's lips.

"Ohhh. Sweetie, it's alright!" Quickly stepping closer, Jessica kneeled down in front of Cameron's legs, ignoring the potential damage it could cause to her ridiculously expensive dress. "I'm just your uncle Derek's girlfriend, Jessica."

Attempting to step out of the way, Cameron found her efforts thwarted as a pair of tiny hands remained clinging to her jeans, moving with her step by step. After a moment, Amy's face peeked out from behind her legs, "You're pretty," She remarked before hiding again.

"Awwww, thank you. I like your dress." Smiling, Jessica stayed still, not making any move to approach the sweet little angel currently cowering behind her big sister, simply waiting for Amy to get comfortable with her presence. "Your uncle Derek has told me lots about you, he really loves you you know."

"He does?" Amy asked hopefully, and somewhat sceptically as she peeked out from behind Cameron again.

Derek meanwhile rolled his eyes at the sight, thinking to himself, 'just what the hell have I gotten myself into here?'.

"Of course he does!" Jessica answered brightly, her dazzling smile on display for all to see, leaning forward just a little, sensing that Amy might just be warming up to her. "He says you do a great job of keeping him in line, which I should thank you for."

"Why?" Amy asked, her curiosity growing and her grip on Cameron's jeans loosening just a little.

"Because I know how hard it is!" Jessica answered with a grin.

Amy giggled softly, detaching from Cameron completely, "You're funny." She stepped out from behind her sister, "Your dress is really nice."

"Well, that's great, everybody loves everyone else's dress." Derek interrupted with a smirk, returning from quietly having grabbed a much needed beer from the fridge, "Except Sarah, who looks like she raided John's hamper. Everybody ready to eat?"

Sarah scowled at Derek, wondering just what this clearly elegant, classy, beautiful young woman saw in him anyway. "Yeah, pizza should be just about…" As if she knew, she glanced out of the front window just in time for the pizza delivery guy pulling up outside. "Here. Alright, everyone grab a seat, I'll go get our dinner."

Derek led Jessica over to the table with a smile, which she happily returned when he pulled the chair out for her like a true gentleman. Usually he wouldn't have thought twice about it, were it not for the smirks he received from most of the other inhabitants at the time. Deciding he really didn't care he dropped a kiss on her check as she slid in to the seat before taking a seat beside her.

John flopped down into his chair, eventually, after stumbling in to it a couple of times. After all, it was tough to locate a chair when his eyes were glued to Jessica the entire time. He really couldn't fathom just how his uncle had managed to snag this one…life just wasn't fair. Although he seemed to be forgetting all about the beautiful cyborg who he loved, his hormones getting the better of him as soon as he clapped eyes on her.

Jessica settled herself in, brushing a few errant strands of hair back behind her ear, mostly oblivious to the drooling John opposite her as Amy bounced up in to the chair beside her. "Hi!" She said through a toothy grin.

"Well hi there sweetie!" Jessica greeted, her smile almost matching Amy's in it's exuberance. Swivelling her legs around, she turned to face the little girl, leaning on her knees so that she was at the same height, again not caring about how it affected her dress. "Aren't you just adorable? I love your dress, it's so cute. I wish I had a dress like that," She said with a small pout.

Amy shyly fiddled with the front pocket on her dress, aimlessly flapping it around in the air, her smile slowly creeping across her face, "Thank you. Why are you friends with Uncle Derek? He's yucky!"

"Awww, I think your Uncle Derek is sweet." Reaching over, happy beyond belief that somebody seemed to like her beyond how she looked, she grabbed Derek's hand and gave it a squeeze, "And he takes good care of me."

Amy scrunched up her face in disgust, sticking her tongue out just a little, "You'll get cooties," She warned, turning back to her plate.

Derek watched the whole exchange, glaring at Amy over Jessica's shoulder he entire time, that was until she turned to face him, her smile stretching from ear to ear. "You hear that Derek? You're yucky!" She mouthed an 'awwww', just for him.

The only thing running through Derek's head at that point was 'oh shit…she wants one'. "You'll change your mind about that some day…sweetie." The words just didn't quite feel right when said through clenched teeth, but Derek just couldn't help it.

"Yeah," John agreed, his mouth around a slice of pizza Sarah had returned with, him digging in first. "Wouldn't hold my breath on that one Uncie D. Something tells me Amy is never gonna grow up!"

Derek scoffed very ungentlemanly like, despite Jessica's presence, "Look who's talking." He glared at John, reaching out to grab a couple of slices for himself and Jessica.

"Hey," John said with a laugh pretty much devoid of humour, "I'm not the one hiding my girlfriend from mommy."

"Again, look who's talking. Tell me, how is your girl these days?" Derek knew it was a cheap shot, but he just didn't want any shit on tonight of all nights.

Despite almost choking on his pizza, grabbing everyone's attention as a result, John still managed to muster up a glare for his dear uncle, "We're…just fine."

Sensing the mounting hostility, it was pretty tough not to notice it, despite being unable to fathom the reason for it, Jessica tried to steer the conversation back to a more pleasant direction, "So, are you and Cameron in the same grade?"

Amy let out a heartwarming giggle beside her, "No, Cammy is way more clever!"

Cameron merely looked up from poking at her pizza at Jessica, levelling her with her favourite 'duh' look, "Yes, we're twins. Twins are the same age."

"So do you guys have the same friends?" Jessica smiled in reply, despite seeing the look Cameron was giving her, she was just happy to be able to use her knowledge about the pair, maybe proving she cared about the family. "Derek says you're very close. So, double dates, stuff like that?"

As she was eagerly waiting for a reply, Derek gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Cameron's not one for dates. But other than that, yeah, they're usually welded together."

Aside from the fact that it didn't look like that from her point of view, Jessica quirked a brow in confusion, she could've swore Derek had said she had a jerk of a boyfriend, "Um…what about you John? What's your girlfriend like?"

"She's…" He hesitated, his eyes flickering over to Cameron for a brief moment before he carried on eating, "She's great."

Jessica then turned to Cameron, frowning at John's distinct lack of an answer, "Derek mentioned you have a boyfriend too Cameron. What's he like?"

Cameron set her pizza slice down and demurely gave her fingertips a quick but thorough wipe on her napkin. "He refuses to engage in sexual activity with me until my injuries heal." She cast a pointed glare over in John's direction before tilting her head curiously at Jessica. Perhaps the woman could provide a little insight after all, "Is this typical for adolescent males? I assume that since you're involved with Uncle Derek you have an extensive knowledge of the pattern of male immaturity."

Jessica, along with everybody besides Amy almost choked on their pizza at the sheer bluntness of her statement, even though Cameron's expression remained curious, seemingly ignoring the coughing fit. "Um, I uh, I guess it depends on the guy. What's he usually like?"

Seemingly for the first time since she'd met her, Cameron's face softened as she got a far away look in her eyes, "Kind, respectful, loyal, though he does have a tendency towards suppressing his feelings."

Jessica laughed, breaking the tension somewhat, "Yeah, guys are like that, you'll get used to it. Um, sorry you've fallen out. You uh, you don't look hurt, what happened?"

Cameron glanced down self consciously at her gloved hand, then over to John quickly. Jessica mistaking her action as simply looking for support from her brother, an easy mistake to make. Cameron tucked her injured hand beneath the table for reasons that were quite beyond her, "I had an accident. I required…surgery, to repair the damage."

Looking back up, wanting to change the conversation, Cameron put on a small smile, "Does Derek suppress his feelings?"

"Well he's…secretive, I'll give him that," Jessica glanced over to him, idly running her thumb over his knuckles. "Guys just don't like showing any kind of weakness. All guys are the same like that."

John meanwhile had grown decidedly uncomfortable at the turn the conversation had taken, shrinking down in to his seat slightly. Primarily he just didn't much appreciate his girlfriend talking about him so openly, despite the fact Jessica had no clue they were in fact discussing him. He interjected with a less than dignified stutter, "So, um, Jessica. Uh, Derek says you mod…well, that is, he says that you're _a_ model."

Jessica, despite her surprise and usual strong personality, developed a small, shy smile. "I do. Although I'm not exactly Tyra Banks or anything." She shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed that the people she was trying to impress with her elegance and grace knew about her profession.

"No." Cameron confirmed coolly, not bothering to look up from her pizza. As the silence descended over the room, she finally looked up, and was decidedly unhappy to see the puppy dog eyes on her boyfriend's face directed squarely at Jessica. She decided to clarify her statement a little harsher than she'd originally intended, but seeing John looking at another woman like that just seemed to provoke her in a way she'd rarely felt since Riley had briefly poisoned their lives. "Not like Tyra Banks. She doesn't do lingerie shoots any more, does she?"

Derek glared up at Cameron almost immediately, pretty much forgetting just who and what she was. Jessica sat beside him, her face tinting several shades of red, "Uh, you uh, you know that huh?"

"It's difficult not to know," Cameron picked up her pizza and took a small nibble from the slice and carried on talking like she was just discussing the weather, "It's the first thing that comes up when you google your name. Did you know you're currently ranked number one hundred and eighty on the 'top two hundred hotties of 2008, compiled by various associated press'?

"You googled me?" Jessica asked, ignoring the question about the ranking, her eyes wide, "I didn't think you'd pay that much attention to me."

"It's not often our…uncle, brings a woman around to meet us." Cameron confirmed with a nod, glancing towards John again almost subconsciously, "We're very protective in this family."

"I can see that." Jessica agreed with a nod of her own, leaning just a little bit closer to Derek subconsciously, her grip tightening on his hand just a little. She turned to Amy, the one ray of sunshine in an otherwise depressingly dark company, "I bet your big brother and sister are always looking out for you aren't they sweetie?"

"Oh yeah!" Amy squealed, grinning from ear to ear, her mouth caked in pizza sauce, "They take great care of me. Cammy even let me help with the laundry yesterday!" She exclaimed happily, as if a chore really was like playtime for her.

Sarah frowned, turning her attention to Cameron. Despite her being mostly passive and being satisfied to observe this new appearance in their lives, something just niggled at her, "I thought I told _you_ to do the laundry?"

Cameron turned her glare towards Sarah, eerily reminiscent of a scene from a horror movie, her neck slowly turning. She had no gripe with Sarah, but it seemed like this girl really brought out the worst, more abrasive elements of her personality. "I did, Amy helped."

Sarah nodded slowly, "Alright then, I just thought it might be something you could handle on your own is all."

Thinking about it and coming to the conclusion that Sarah was pissed at not being properly included in the conversation, Jessica turned to her with a smile, despite her assumption being like putting two and two together and coming up with seven. "So, Sarah…are you seeing anyone?"

Sarah Connor eyed the girl like she'd just spat on her shoes, everybody else in the room trying so hard not to even glance at the head of the house, "No, but if I were I'd inform my family about it." If Cameron's shift of attention was creepy, then Sarah's was just downright dangerous as she switched her glare to Derek pointedly.

"I didn't…I'm sorry about that," Jessica said with a frown and a meek sounding voice, she wasn't really expecting all the hostility she was on the receiving end of as she leaned towards Derek even more, "I would have told him to tell you."

"Yeah well, it's not like we even needed to know, it's not vital or anything," Sarah bit back, a little harsher that she'd intended.

A quiet descended over the table, giving Jessica the distinct impression she really wasn't wanted at all, either at the table or in their lives. Feeling a small tug on her dress, she looked down to find a set of little grubby pizza fingers clutching on to it.

Amy looked up with a grin, "Aunt Jessica, can you get me some more pizza please?"

Despite the marks on her dress, Jessica was just happy that at least one person didn't seem to mind her presence, "Of course sweetie."

Tearing another slice out of the box and setting it on Amy's plate, she ruffled the top of her head in just the way she didn't know Amy hated. She sank back in to her seat a little and her smile subsided when she looked back at the family, "I didn't mean to cause any problems. I'm not trying to steal Derek away from you all or anything. I know how important family is to him, and I'd never mess with that."

John, mostly oblivious to the conversation going on around him, felt a sudden, sharp pain in his shin. Halfway to reaching down to try and rub the sting out of it, he caught sight of Cameron, and she looked pissed.

For her part, she just couldn't understand John's behaviour, did he not realise he'd been staring at Jessica's mostly exposed chest most of the evening? It had been several minutes since he'd last spoke, and in that time he hadn't even taken a bite of his pizza he was so entranced by her. She wasn't fully accustomed to human behaviour, but she was pretty sure that when a man was in a relationship, he wasn't supposed to stare at another woman, especially with his girlfriend sitting opposite him.

Deciding he needed a not so subtle reminder of that fact, she'd aimed a gentle kick at his shin to get his attention, or at least to take it away from…her. Ignoring his glare, she turned to face the object of her dislike, "Family is very important to us all. So John is always reminding me."

"Ouch!" Another kick later and John realised his exclamation had the entire table staring at him. Blushing a deep shade of red, he ran a hand through his short hair, "Uh, yeah. Family is really important, isn't that right Derek? Kinda why we're taking that trip, _right_?"

Sarah, suddenly alert snapped her eyes up from her pizza, eyes flicking around the room wildly, "Trip, what trip? Derek?"

Suddenly another kick veered in to John's other shin, this one ironically not nearly as gentle as the ones the coltan skeleton-ed Cameron aimed at him, although this one was backed up by the steel toe cap in Derek's boot. "Yeah, uh, since our camping trip got ruined the other day, I figured I'd take John fishing or something. Get him out of the city for a few days."

Amy mumbled around a mouthful of her pizza, earning a sweet smile from Jessica, "Fishing sucks."

Sarah completely ignored the little girl, instead settling for flicking back and forth between John and Derek, "Excuse me?"

Just as Sarah had ignored Amy, Cameron ignored Sarah, instead focusing solely on John, looking at him like he'd just informed her he'd be leaving forever, or at least that's what her downtrodden expression would indicate. "A few days?"

Pointedly ignoring Cameron's look, John mumbled his own defense, "Just, you know, some guy time, right Uncle Derek? Too much oestrogen around here."

"Guy time?" Sarah stared at John like he'd just told her he was ditching her forever, something she held in common with Cameron. However Sarah's prevalent emotion wasn't sadness…anger would've been more accurate, "Since when do you need to 'get away' from me?"

"Come on mom, you know it's not like that!" He glanced pleadingly over towards his fellow man in the room, however Derek was too busy trying to avoid a hurt look from Jessica to even notice.

"When were you planning on telling me about this trip Derek?" Derek's heart wrenched as he looked over to his love, she looked on the verge of tears, this on top of the pretty much disastrous evening getting the better of her. "You know I put aside time, I blew off that job in New York because we've barely seen each other lately."

"Look, we only decided on it today. It's not like I've been keeping it secret for days or anything." Derek reached out to try and take hold of her hand beneath the table, not at all liking having to see her so upset.

"You're always doing this to me," Jessica yanked her hand away before he had a chance to even get close, swiping away at her eyes, "You don't even tell your family what's going on with you!"

Derek stared at the woman as she continued swiping at her eyes, smearing a small amount of makeup, he couldn't quite believe her reaction, he'd expected her to be pissed. But then he remembered her history with her father, the man that barely raised her, the man who constantly abandoned her without warning whenever he smelled a lucrative business deal. His face twisted in to a sympathetic look as he once again reached out a hand to lay on hers, "Jess, I'm sorry, but you have to understand I didn't do it to hurt you."

"I know you didn't mean it that way…but it does." With a sigh, she couldn't help but look more than a little embarrassed when she finally remembered that they weren't alone in the room, "You're not in the army any more Derek. Not everything has to be some super secret mission."

Derek cleared his throat, realising about the same time as she did that they weren't alone, "Uh, how about we talk about this, outside."

Jessica nodded slowly, glancing around the room at everybody but Derek, "I'm sorry everyone. I didn't mean to overreact."

Surprisingly, it was Cameron who returned her nod with a sympathetic one of her own, "It's something we get used to…" She glanced over to John, looking no less hurt than the human woman across the table from her, "It runs in the family."

John buried his head in his plate, feeling downright awful about the looks he was getting and the obvious hurt he was causing Cameron. But this was the reason he needed to get away, he couldn't focus on anything but the people he loved when he was around the people he loved. He had more important stuff to take care of right then, but he couldn't do it with Cameron being all mopey around him and his mother glaring daggers. "Look, I'm sorry alright. I'll be back in a few days, I promise." He finally lifted his eyes from his plate as he waited for Cameron's reaction.

"Did I do something wrong?" Cameron asked in a tiny voice, looking down at her hands, not caring in the slightest if she blew their cover, she had to know why her John was leaving her, "I'm sorry for what I said, I know I hurt you…"

Sarah stepped in before anybody had a chance to say something that might leave them with one dead fashion model on their hands, consequently bailing John out, even though she really didn't want to. "Cameron, I'm sure you can manage a few days without your brother…and no, you didn't do anything wrong." She looked pointedly at John, encouraging him to say something, if only to protect their cover, or at least, that's what she told herself.

"It's okay Cameron," Amy interjected cheerfully before anyone could dig the ditch deeper for themselves, "We'll have some girl time while the boys run off to play with slimy fish. It'll be fun!"

Almost as an afterthought, she tagged on the end, "Aunt Jessica can come play too, right mommy?"

Sarah looked torn between shock and wanting to rip Amy limb from metal limb for playing up to her part so well, "Um…I don't know…honey. Aunt Jessica is probably very busy with…"

"Not at all." Jessica interrupted much to Sarah's chagrin, shaking her head side to side, looking for any possible way to make a better impression on her man's family. "I took time off anyways, so I'll just be lounging around the house. In fact, if it's okay with your mommy, why don't you have your sister drive you over to my place and we can all have a girl's day?"

Sarah's eyes almost bulged out of her head, despite how hard she tried to stop that from happening while Amy bounced excitedly in her seat. Cameron meanwhile remained staring at her boyfriend, lost in her own pity. "Um, we'll see alright." Sarah answered with a glare at Amy, hoping it'd get her to drop the idea.

Amy flashed a toothy grin before reaching over to Jessica and wrapping her little arms around her waist, again smearing grease and tomato all over her dress. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! We'll have so much fun! Can we watch movies? Oooohhh, and go to the park?"

Jessica smiled down, glad that she really did have someone on her side, "Of course we can sweetie!"

She looked up from Amy and glanced across the table, "Cameron? Cameron!" She smiled when Cameron finally tore her attention away from her brother, "Is that alright with you?"

Cameron merely nodded before picking up her half eaten slice of pizza, forcing herself to eat it, knowing that the more she ate, the quicker and better she'd heal up.

John stood up quickly, grabbing everyone's attention, tired of all the drama, which after all was the reason he was bailing the next day, "It was…nice, meeting you Jessica. Derek, I'll see you tomorrow."

Before anyone could respond, he disappeared towards the kitchen and out the back door, slamming it behind him.

Derek watched him go, glaring at the back of his head and just wishing the kid would grow up already. "Yeah, I guess we'd better get going too. Come on, I'll drive you home." He stood and offered his hand to Jessica to take.

Jessica managed to detach herself almost reluctantly from Amy and stood, not bothering to take the offered hand, "Thanks for dinner Sarah. It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah," Sarah replied, barely suppressing an eye roll, "Fun. Come on Amy, it's…bedtime."

"Yeah, thanks for dinner Sarah, come on Jess." Derek picked up his jacket from the back of the chair and set off for the door, remembering to pick up her coat from the closet on the way.

Jessica followed behind him in a daze, waiting until the door closed behind her before she finally let go and broke down, tears flowing freely down her beautiful face, tears she'd been holding in ever since she set foot in the house and was so rudely greeted by pretty much every member of Derek's family, "My God Derek…they hate me!"

Derek resolutely shook his head, reaching out to encircle her in a hug. "No, they don't hate you, they just all have their own problems to deal with right now."

"Are you kidding me? Were you even in the same freaking room?" She sniffled, leaning in to his chest, "Sarah thinks I'm not good enough for you, John wouldn't stop staring at my chest all night, and Cameron…I could've sworn she was ready to kill me!"

Derek grimaced, resting his chin on the top of her head. He knew everything she'd just said was right, but he still had to do something to try and cheer her up, he couldn't stand seeing her upset, "Amy liked you."

"Of course she does Derek, she's eight." She released a resigned sounding sigh, clutching him tighter, "And you're leaving me…again."

"Look, Jess." He pulled back just enough to look at her, coaxing her chin up with a finger, "I know I've been MIA a lot lately, but I'm not your dad alright, I'm not just gonna dump you, I'm back in a few days, I promise." He usually wouldn't have snapped like that, but the day and night he'd had were starting to get to him.

"Derek, it's not the leaving, like you said, my dad has made sure I'm used to that." She leaned forward, ignoring her fresh tears to place a hand on his cheek, "It's the secrets. I love you, don't you trust me?"

"I do trust you…I just don't want to put you in any possible danger alright. One day you'll learn exactly why I am the way I am, I just want that day to be as far away as possible right now."

"Any danger you're in should be my danger too! What is it Derek, what are you afraid of?" She asked, getting a little worked up at the thought of her man being in danger.

"I'm scared that if you knew me, the real me, you'd run a fucking mile," Derek answered with a shake of his head and a humourless smile, "I don't want that to happen. That life is behind me now, I don't want you anywhere near it."

"Alright." Jessica replied after a moment's thought, looking up at his eyes again, "It's okay Derek…I have faith in you. When you're ready to talk, I'll listen."

"Thanks, I appreciate it, I really do." He smiled, genuinely this time, wiping away the last of her tears and throwing her coat around her shoulders and tugging it in tight around her, "Come on, let's get you home."

Looking up from under her bangs and forcing a smile, "Will you stay until you have to leave?"

Derek couldn't keep the grin off his face, mostly at just how lucky he was, "I thought you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me tonight."

"I always want to be near to you." She smiled, dropping a kiss on his cheek, "When are you gonna realise that your bullshit is never gonna run me off?"

Derek smiled as he rounded the front of his truck and opened the door for her, "I love you, you know that, right?"

"Then take me home," She kissed him softly and slowly before sliding past him and flopping in to the passenger seat with a sultry smile, "And prove it."

* * *

**Probably the most un-Terminator like chapter in the entire TSCC section I know, but Jessica is an important part of this story and I wanted a thorough introduction to the family. Don't worry, plenty of fluff and some John/Derek versus the wilderness coming up next chapter! :)**

**I've also added a picture in my profile of how I imagined Jessica looking for this dinner, the gorgeous Coco Rocha providing the perfect image!**

**Huge thanks to Dekardkain as usual. His story has just recently been updated, 'Becoming John Connor', check it out!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi,**

**Okay, a few issues to clear up. I KNOW JOHN IS BEING AN ASS!**

**That is intentional, and although I may have dragged the storyline out a little too long, I don't need it ramming down my throat (not picking on anyone in particular), nor do I need to be reminded that Summer Glau is more attractive than Coco Rocha. Hell, I know that, John knows that, but if a seventeen year old boy meets a fashion model for the first time, he's gonna stare, and drool. It's kind of what men do around attractive women.**

**I like writing this story, and I like hearing nice comments, so it annoys me when I leave people with a negative impression of it, I take it personally. Which is why I've cranked out this chapter in about three days, because I don't want to disappoint people and put them off this tale. Hopefully this will restore some people's faith in me, and know that there will be more to come for John, he has to grow up, and the actions of the last few chapters have set him up for that. It's just a shame that wasn't picked up on.**

**Rant over, sorry if I've offended anyone, I know you read this story to be entertained, not yelled at, but I really do care about it that much to make me rant.**

* * *

_What a dump!_

Amy stood back and scanned the run down roadside motel from across the street. There were no flowers, the paint was pretty much all cracks, and she was fairly sure she could smell the dumpsters from where she was, despite being unable to see them.

For the last half an hour she'd been tracking her target, and it was difficult. The trail had gone cold several times, testing her abilities to their fullest, and yet she'd kept going and persevering. Her desire to reach her target worth more to her than the inconvenience of being forced to locate it.

She'd ducked and weaved, shifted form, thankfully with no side effects, and made her way to the targets location in the dead of night. It certainly was intriguing, the sights to be found at three in the morning going through suburban Los Angeles. From the homeless, to the junkies, to the celebrity couple she'd spotted getting busy in a back alley. The tabloids would have a field day if they ever got access to that particular memory.

Finally shifting back to her usual form, she bounced across the road…checking both ways twice, just in case, and wandered up to the motel reception. Standing up on her tip toes, she peeked in to the booth only to find the overweight, sweaty manager slumped asleep in front of his TV, shotgun resting lazily across his lap. Yep, this was a classy joint.

Snaking a long tentacle under the glass, she flicked the safety of the weapon to safe before retracting her arm. As much as she hated guns and usually the people who wielded them, it wouldn't be very nice for anything to startle this guy and for him to end up with a gaping hole where his testicles used to be.

Satisfied that she'd done her good deed for the day, she checked the guest register and found her target in room 2A. Turning on a heel, she headed for the rickety looking metal staircase, putting her foot on the bottom step and gingerly testing it out.

Sure it would take her weight, she hopped up on to the step and made her way up as quickly as she dared to, which wasn't very fast at all by machine standards. Wandering along the walkway, she looked up at each door until she came to room 2A. Double checking that nobody was around, she allowed her body to shimmer, quickly melting in to a puddle that looked remarkably similar to the walkway she was on, only shinier.

Moving quickly under the door, the puddle reformed silently on the other side. Tilting her head, Amy scanned the room, which surprisingly was nicer on the inside than the exterior would indicate. Then she located her target lying on the bed, asleep, vulnerable.

Striding over to the bedside with more purpose than she usually exhibited, she leaned over, taking a moment to scan the man.

_Target confirmed…_

_ID…Charley Dixon…_

_Terminate…_

Shaking her head, she cancelled the readout. One of the drawbacks of her tracking systems was that she had to assign a target before they would kick in, and her being a Skynet creation, it always just assumed she would be hunting to try and kill someone. She was still working on fixing that one, but until then, she had to assign somebody as the target.

Huffing, she leaned over and confirmed the man was sound asleep, her completely silent entry not disturbing him at all. With a small smile, her midsection shimmered, followed by her chest, then finally one of her arms. A moment later, a small rectangle of plastic emerged on the upturned palm of her hand, a credit card.

She set it down on the pillow next to Charley's head and looked around. Spotting what she needed, she made her way over to the small dresser in the room and picked up the notepad and pen. Flopping down cross legged to the floor, she set about writing the note in perfectm undistinguishable handwriting.

_This card is clean and can not be traced. Use it for whatever you need, funds are not an issue._

_Sarah doesn't know about this, but she is very sorry. She'd want you to stay safe, stay alive._

Although not exactly poetic, it served two purposes. Aside from the obvious explanation of the card, it helped Amy's other goal…after all, every little girl needs a daddy to keep mommy company, and Charley would make a great daddy.

Standing up, she set the note next to the card on the pillow and turned away. Sliding out from under the door again, she reformed on the other side with a smile, mission accomplished…for now.

* * *

"Soooo…you having fun yet?"

Cameron didn't bother to even glance away from the road. The only sign she'd even heard Amy was a slight narrowing of her eyes, "Do I appear to be 'having fun?"

"I don't know, it's been so long since I've seen it that I've kinda forgotten what it looks like," Amy answered, happily kicking her feet off the underside of the dashboard in time with the second counter in her HUD, a monotonous rhythm that would've driven most people crazy.

"I'm happy around John," Cameron snapped a little, or at least, her equivalent of snapping which was simply a raised voice and a tilt of her chin, "He's been avoiding me, so my fun has been limited lately."

"You need to broaden your horizons a little," Amy advised, knowing full well just how reliant Cameron was on John, "John isn't everything you know. Come on, you might at least have a little fun today."

Cameron actually did turn her head away from the road, eyeing Amy like she'd just told her it was raining kittens, "But to me, John is everything. You're a protector, you know what that's like."

"Yeah, doesn't mean I can't have fun without Sarah. I mean she's actually quite dull when you really get to know her, I get my entertainment from other places." Amy stopped twirling her hair around her finger and looked over towards her friend, "Have you tried watching cartoons? They're really good."

"We watched cartoons," Cameron replied with a shake of her head and a sidelong glance, "Tom was a very ineffective Terminator."

Amy rolled her eyes, swatting at Cameron's side lazily, "You haven't been working on your imagination like I asked you to, have you?"

Oddly enough, Cameron looked a little uncomfortable at the mention of her imagination. The truth was she had been working on it, however she'd come across an…issue, "I have, but my focus tends to drift beyond my control to one subject."

"That sucks," Amy replied sympathetically. The little machines 'imagination' was very important to her, without it she'd have probably gone nuts through boredom, yet another caveat of Skynet's experimentation. "Well look, just try to forget about John today."

"How can I?" Cameron asked, turning back towards the road and glaring at it like it had just insulted her maternal lineage, "This…woman, made a difficult problem even worse. Did you see the way my John was looking at her? He was…aroused."

"Well, she is pretty," Amy said with a shrug, and sank down in to the seat when Cameron turned her glare in her direction. For once she was actually unhappy about having to defend John, but she did kind of have a point, "He's only human."

"More attractive than I am?" Cameron asked, her glare subsiding as she tilted her head to the side curiously, returning her attention to the road, "John said I was the most beautiful person he'd ever met."

"Well, yeah, you might be," Amy sighed, taking a deep, simulated breath, "But humans like shiny new things, especially if they're a member of the opposite gender. Surely you must have noticed that?"

Glancing down at her hand, she felt it clench around the steering wheel. If she'd had any skin on her hand, it would've turned whit with the pressure she was applying, "Your analysis of their attraction to 'shiny', is distinctly flawed."

Amy rolled her eyes again, sometimes her friend was just impossible to try and cheer up when she got on this one woman emo thing. "And you are just way too touchy about that."

Cameron glared over at the smaller machine, "And how would you feel if Sarah couldn't look at you without bordering on a panic attack?"

"Been there, done that. She got used to me," Amy shrugged, "John will do the same…eventually."

"I…" She quirked her head, sending the road at an odd angle in her vision, the sudden realisation of something hitting her like a sledgehammer, "I don't want to wait…I miss him."

Cameron had never really know impatience before. After all, she didn't really have a human like concept of time. Like the T-800 that John knew, she would stand in the same spot all night if it meant ensuring John's safety. She didn't like to, but she was more than capable of doing nothing for hours. She didn't feel boredom, nor did she yearn for something to happen to liven up her day. But the emotions she felt whenever she was around John made her crave them all the more. Yes, when it came to her current situation with John, she found she wanted it resolved as quickly as possible, she didn't like it when she wasn't with him, in every sense of the word.

Amy merely rolled her eyes in response to Cameron's statement, deciding the mood could use a little lightening, "John and Cameron sitting in a tree!"

"Stop that." Cameron warned, her voice devoid of all inflection.

"Stop what?" Amy enquired sweetly, "K I S S I N G!"

Swivelling her head slowly, Cameron thought back to something she'd heard said on TV that seemed to be particularly effective at dealing with situations like this. "If you don't stop I'll turn this vehicle around and take you right back home," Her tone matched that of a frazzled parent pitch perfectly.

Amy's eyes flew wide, stretching over to try and grab at Cameron's arm, her progress impeded by her seat belt, "No! I promise I'll stop it!"

Pausing for a few seconds, Amy couldn't stand it any longer when Cameron hadn't replied, or even made any indication she'd been heard. "Are we still going?" She ventured in a small voice.

"As long as you don't resume the singing." Cameron cautioned, matching her tone from before, "I don't understand your attraction to this woman. She wears lingerie for a living."

"Well, you wear lingerie too! John likes it, you said so!" Amy defended, not liking people talking about her new friend behind her back.

"When I'm wearing it, nobody is taking pictures that millions of people can see, humans are private about their nudity. It's just for John."

Amy huffed and sank down in her seat again, feeling defeated in a rare break from normality, "Look, just promise me that you won't try and kill her, or threaten her, or go all 'scary robot' on her."

Cameron, despite her best efforts couldn't prevent the tiniest corner of her mouth from quirking upwards a minute amount at the thought, "What scary robot thing? I'm unaware of any scary robot thing." She purposefully kept her voice flat and neutral.

"You know, when you do that silent staring thing, it creeps people out," Amy glanced over, noticing for the first time Cameron's smirk, "But you already know that, don't you?"

Pulling the truck up in the nearest free parking bay without the precision of a veteran stunt driver, Cameron put the truck in to park and opened the door, lithely stepping out. "I have no idea what you're referring to."

"Yes you do!" Amy yelled, unclipping her seat belt and heaving the door open. Hopping out of the truck, she slammed the door behind her and jogged around the front, planting herself in front of Cameron, glaring up at her, "You always do it!"

"It's not my fault that humans intimidate easily." With that, Cameron cut the conversation short as she scanned her surroundings for her latest nemesis. For a cyborg who mostly kept to herself, she certainly did seem to collect nemeses like they were going out of fashion. Riley, Derek, the infuriating nodding dog that John had bought and kept on leaving outside her bedroom door in the old house. Although that one had been swiftly dealt with when she emerged from her room one final time to find that inanimate object nodding at her. A swift rise and fall of her boot had taken care of that problem.

Now she had Jessica to occupy the position. She really had tried to go in to the dinner the night before with an open mind, but after seeing the way John was ogling her, Cameron had suddenly developed an irrational dislike of the woman. So much so that Cameron couldn't help but going through the same emotions that she had when Riley used to be around.

Rolling her eyes at the lack of response for the last few seconds, Amy nudged in to Cameron's legs, trying to get her attention, "Cameron, it's a park, there aren't any Terminators here…well, besides you and me that is. Just promise me you'll try and be nice?"

Cameron quirked a brow, looking down at the mini machine from behind her assuredly, by Katie from the store at least, fashionable sunglasses. However, she looked up again a moment later, resuming her scan, "What would you consider, 'nice'?"

"Um, don't ask her any personal and embarrassing questions, don't make any kind of threat. You know, just…be nice!" Amy begged exasperatedly, throwing her arms to the side pleadingly, "Just think, 'my dad sells tractors' and you'll be fine!"

Finally catching sight of her target…no, not target, 'that woman' was more appropriate. So appropriate in fact that Cameron assigned her that name in her targeting systems, it was nicer than 'bitchwhore' after all. Spotting 'that woman' on a bench near the slides, Cameron slipped in to her 'grin and bear it' face, idly wondering why the woman would turn up to the park looking just about a fabulous as she had when she'd came over for dinner. Didn't she realise she'd likely be spending her time playing with a small, hyperactive and most likely dirty child in the park? Shaking her head, she looked down at said small child, "I will attempt to be…civil."

"Good," Amy said with a smile, following Cameron's gaze to find Jessica on the bench facing away from them. Strangely enough she wondered the same thing about her outfit as Cameron had, causing her to break out in a wide grin, "I am so gonna make a mess of that dress today!"

Cameron smirked too, unusually pleased with that idea, "You have my support."

She started walking towards the woman in typical Terminator fashion, long strides and not deviating her eyes to anywhere but the back of her head. Like a predator stalking its blind, deaf and stupid prey, she approached, eating up the distance between them in very little time.

"What did I say about your scary robot thing?" Amy warned, jogging up beside her, once again cursing her chosen form for having such little legs. It had the potential to become a problem one day.

Cameron ignored Amy as she stepped up behind the bench from behind. Making a conscious effort to try and keep her voice neutral, she neglected to make any subtle indications of their presence, instead she chose to bellow out a greeting, "We're here."

Jessica almost leaped out of her skin. She'd been so engrossed in staring, somewhat longingly over at the kids playing in front of her that she hadn't even heard a heavy pair of footsteps and a par of lighter scurrying ones approaching from behind her. Placing a hand on her chest, she turned around to find Cameron looking down on her, decidedly unruffled, "Jesus, you scared me!"

Cameron didn't fail to notice her stare, although she was pretty sure the woman missed her narrowed eyes from behind her aviators. However her attention was drawn to the far away look she seemed to have in her eye as she watched the kids playing. Forgetting, or rather ignoring Amy's advice about personal questions, she filed the information away for later use, "That wasn't my intention. Perhaps you should pay more attention to your surroundings."

"Um…yeah, I'll do that." Jessica switched her attention to the overly excited ball of energy known as Amy bouncing off to Cameron's side, "Well hi there sweetie!" She cooed almost as excitedly as Amy was looking.

"Aunt Jessica!" Apparently Amy had been politely waiting, because as soon as she'd had some form of acknowledgement, she left her spot beside her sister and sprinted around the bench, throwing her arms around Jessica's midsection, "I missed you!"

Jessica chuckled, returning the hug, resting her cheek on the top of the little angel's head, "It's only been a few days sweetie…but I missed you too!"

Amy detached herself, nibbling on her bottom lip like while looking longingly over towards the children running around on the nearby jungle gym, "Can I go play?"

"Sure you can!" Jessica replied warmly, "Just stay where I can see you alright." She warned, not wanting to ruin the admittedly small amount of trust Sarah had placed in her by allowing her to be responsible for her daughter by letting her wander off.

Amy nodded excitedly, already half way to the other kids by the time she verbally responded, "I will. Bye Cammy! Be nice to Aunt Jessica!"

Cameron watched the blur that was Amy sprint off towards the other kids, idly wondering how she blended in so well with humanity when she wasn't really designed for it. Herself on the other hand was designed for infiltration, and yet she struggled with the more complex aspects of human behaviour. It was nothing if not infuriating. Speaking of infuriating, se took a seat next to Jessica, content to sit in silence for the duration of Amy's 'playtime', not at all feeling the need to initiate conversation.

Jessica watched Amy play, albeit distractedly, glancing over at Cameron out of the corner of her eye, behind her own pair of stylish and no doubt expensive sunglasses. After a few minutes of idly fiddling with the strap of her purse in her lap, she couldn't take the silence any more, "So, um…lovely weather today isn't it?"

Even the usually cool Jessica had to roll her eyes at that one. Just why was she so uncomfortable around this girl?

Giving the woman a 'really?' look from behind her sunglasses, Cameron returned her attention forward, deciding to humour her at least. Amy had asked her to 'be nice' after all, "I prefer cooler weather, it expands my wardrobe options."

"Really? I would've thought that, um…never mind." She looked back to Amy nervously, wishing she'd never said anything, she could practically feel Cameron's gaze landing squarely on her.

"You would have thought what?" Cameron actually looked offended, her fashion sense something she prided herself on…the fingerless mittens an aberration, "Not only models are capable of making fashionable choices."

"No no, it's not that, it's just…" She hesitated, trying to come up without the right words to convey what she meant without offending, of typecasting, "Most girls your age, especially ones as pretty as you, tend to like wearing…less, especially during the summer."

Immediately pulling up a quote from a magazine she'd read the week before in her HUD, she turned to Jessica, her face a blank mask, "More is the new less. A little mystery lets the imagination do it's thing."

Jessica merely quirked an eyebrow, not quite sure if what she'd just heard was correct, "You read Fashion Weekly?"

Cameron nodded distractedly, watching Amy curiously, "It's tight."

Jessica filed that little tidbit away for later use, "It is. Did you happen to see the shoot I did for them a couple of months ago?" She ventured.

Quickly scanning through her memory banks, Cameron pulled up the article, complete with images in her HUD, the whole process taking less than half a second, "Black lace. They said your pale skin accentuated the dark colour and advised others with similar complexion to do the same."

"Um…" Jessica stuttered, embarrassed by simply knowing that Cameron had seen her mostly naked, "I meant the Armani shoot. But I guess it's good that you noticed me in the other one too," She sank lower in to her seat, staring resolutely forwards.

"Lingerie is more noticeable than sunglasses," Cameron shrug nonchalantly, "Don't you agree?"

"I guess so…I like yours by the way." She was just about to launch in to a spiel about the merits of one brand over another when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, "AMY! Don't climb so high sweetie!"

Cameron had to fight off an eye roll, despite her eyes being hidden, it would look odd after all if she didn't appear concerned about her 'little sister's' wellbeing, "I notice you seem to like children…a lot."

"Yeah," Jessica agreed with a chuckle, "Amy's so cute!"

"You're still within the age range of prime fertility," Cameron pointed out in a manner not too dissimilar to the tone Jessica had used when actually discussing the weather earlier. After all, she may not like the woman, or Derek for that matter, but the same genes that spawned John Connor and Kyle Reese should be preserved, "As is Derek," she pointed out casually.

Jessica blushed furiously, fiddling with her dress to try and cover her embarrassment at the frank nature the girl beside her was discussing such a private subject, "Um, I'm not quite ready for that yet. I'm only twenty four!"

"The female body disagrees with your assessment." Cameron shrugged, "Peak fertility begins at fifteen and ends at twenty six."

"It..it does? How do you know that?" Jessica asked, obviously sceptical and yet, intrigued as to how the girl would know that. If she was forced to admit it, she would have to say she was impressed.

"Biology texts, primarily Grey's Anatomy…not the TV show." Cameron clarified with a shake of her head, unable to work out just how humans didn't seem to be interested in the workings of their own bodies. She knew everything about her body, "Your body is also in a much better position to recover from the trauma of childbirth at your age…You should consider letting Derek impregnate you."

Jessica choked, despite the fact she wasn't eating or drinking anything, "Wha, what?" Cameron, we've only been dating a month! We can't just, have a baby. We haven't even discussed it or anything!"

"Time is short," Cameron argued, not elaborating on her cryptic comment, "You do love him, don't you? The signs are very clear."

Jessica's face softened from the initial shock of hearing the suggestion put so bluntly, "I do, I really do. Wait, what do you mean, the signs?"

Cameron rolled her eyes, her voice picking up in a tone similar to a parent explaining a concept to their small child, feeling that was the level she may have to dumb herself down to for this one, "Blush response, pupil dilation and speech patterns. You seem most comfortable when in close proximity to Derek. He makes you feel safe, it's obvious."

Jessica smiled, looking down as she considered it, "You noticed all that?"

She knew from what Derek had told her that Cameron was a little odd, focused, but for her to notice all those tiny indicators, she must have been something special.

"It was hard not to." She replied, quirking her head to one side, not seeing how her words might be mis-interpreted, "What I found odd was that Derek exhibited all the same signs. It's... out of character for him to be romantically infatuated."

"It is?" Jessica asked eagerly, unsure as to how the girl beside her could know so much, but wanting to hear about Derek all the same.

"Derek is intensely loyal, but doesn't form attachments easily." She glanced over at Jessica and couldn't help but think how much this paralleled her struggles with John, "He's lost much, and has learned it's best to forego attachment in the first place. Walls like that aren't easily overcome."

Sitings back with a smile, Jessica was glad she was the one who made that happen if Cameron was right. Just then her phone rang, speak of the devil it was Derek. Fishing around in her purse, she answered it, his voice cutting out a lot, "Derek? Are you home?"

The call cut out a moment later, "Derek? Hello? Dammit," She looked at her phone, the display reading 'Call Ended'.

Cameron leaned over eagerly, not realising that the call had ended, "Is John with him? Is he alright? Can I speak with him?"

Jessica looked up, her face a mask of sympathy, "Um, the call cut out, I could barely hear him."

Cameron glanced down at her hands folded primly in her lap, looking absolutely forlorn, "Oh... thank you for trying."

"Um, are you alright?" Before Cameron had even had a chance to answer, Jessica had turned away to check on Amy.

"AMY!" She shook her head in warning after she'd caught her attention, Amy slowly lowering the plastic spade from the sandbox from above another boy's head. Her face turned in to a pout as she crossed her arms, clearly unhappy and being stopped from exacting her revenge on the boy who'd had the audacity to throw sand in her hair.

Quickly realising her slip, Cameron shook her head slowly side to side, "It's just... my boyfriend and I still aren't having sex."

Amy came bouncing over before Jessica had a chance to respond, leaving a sympathetic look on Jessica's face. It was almost like the little girl knew all the right points to interrupt them, "Come on Aunt Jessica, come push me on the swings!"

* * *

"Hey Derek, time for a break maybe?"

John was exhausted, he was tired and he just wanted a small break, that was all. Ever since Derek and him had arrived in the wilderness, and John had asked where the fishing poles were only to have Derek shove a backpack in to his hands, he'd been in a pissy mood. Apparently the man had decided that if he was going to be dragged away from Jessica for a while, then they may as well put the days to some good use. Hiking and survival training was decided on as being the most efficient use of time.

_So much for relaxing by a lake with my uncle!_

"I told you," Derek halted his progress for a moment, but only to glance down at his cell phone in his hand, "When we reach the RP."

"We've been walking for hours," John complained, his feet were aching, his back and shoulders were numb from the pack he was being forced in to carrying and he had a constant headache from the sun beating down on top of him all day. Groaning, he jogged a couple of quick steps, trying to make up just a little ground on Derek, his uncle's pace having quickened noticeably over the last half hour or so.

Derek rolled his eyes at the constant bitching from his nephew, who fancied himself as a man, although a whining child seemed more accurate at that moment. He'd been sick and tired of John's complaints since they'd first gotten out of the truck, "That's kind of the point, John. Pushing yourself, remember? Some day you might be doing this with metal on your ass, you gonna stop for a break then?"

"I'd rather do that than fall flat on my face through exhaustion," Again he hopped a couple of steps to keep up, "Besides, we're not being chased by machines, it's only a hike in the woods." He rolled his eyes, despite the fact Derek couldn't see it, and there was nobody else around to be impressed.

"If you wait until there really are machines on your ass, you might not survive it!" Derek cautioned, glancing down at his phone again and mumbling to himself in tones that shouldn't have been uttered in polite company, "Fuck, fuck!"

"I'll take my chances." John didn't hear Derek's muttered curses, instead he carried on, even breaking out in to a smirk in clear defiance of his uncle and his cautionary tone, "Besides, I've got my very own smoking hot girlfriend to take care of me!"

Derek, despite his obvious aversion to the kid's relationship and his deep seeded hatred for all machines, Cameron to a slightly lesser extent these days, she had after all earned his respect, he found himself thinking 'maybe not if you keep running off to avoid her'. But for all his internal musings, he wasn't quite angry enough yet to say anything like that.

Finally realising that he should probably get to higher ground if he had any chance of getting a signal out in the ass end of nowhere, Derek spotted a rocky outcropping a few hundred yards away and immediately made a beeline for it without even glancing back at John, who by this point had caught up somewhat, "She'd tell you to keep going too and you fucking know it."

John stopped in his tracks and stared at his uncle, losing the precious ground he'd gained on him in the process, just why he had suddenly changed direction away from their intended destination he didn't know, but he was curious all the same. However he fell in to step behind him a moment later, shaking his head and deciding to bite his tongue for now. "You know, I do have an army to command too. Aren't they supposed to be pretty fanatical when it comes to yours truly?"

"'As fear and love can hardly coexist'," Derek grumbled as he shucked his pack up on his back a little higher to try and take some of the strain off his aching shoulders. John wasn't the only one who didn't like being out there, after all, Derek had just abandoned his beautiful girlfriend and her luxuriously soft bed in order to accompany John's whiny ass out in to the wilderness. His situation was made all the worse as the pair approached the first incline towards their destination of higher ground, "'It is better to be feared, than loved.'"

John quirked an eyebrow, wondering to himself if the heat had gotten to his uncle. It was a very hot day after all, "What?"

"Machiavelli, John." Derek rolled his eyes pointedly, usually he wasn't one to quote scripture, but what little of it he knew seemed appropriate at that particular juncture, "You should probably know that one."

"Why?" John asked, using his hands to aid his climb up a particularly steep face.

"Because you did in the future!" Derek snapped as he climbed, really starting to lose his cool. The blinding heat and the sweat dripping from every pore on his body only adding to his irritation at John's piss poor attitude. Plus, he was already several hours late on the call he'd promised to make to Jessica. He'd already ditched her, the least he could do was honour his word, the girl had enough disappointment in her life as it was without him adding to it. "What? You think I've read Machiavelli? Who the hell do you think told me that?"

"Hey!" John snapped, feeling the need to justify and defend himself, "I can hack a firewall in under a minute. I think that's infinitely more important to our future than me being able to recite scripture." John shook his head, not quite understanding just what the fuck scripture had to do with winning a war, "I'm not trying to be the exact same guy as the version of me that you knew in the future. I'm my own man and I intend to stay that way."

"It's not scripture!" Derek argued, spinning to face John with a glare, "It's one of the most important books on strategy and government ever written! He won the war because he knew this shit!"

"Well sooooorry if I haven't had a chance yet to read every single book on the planet yet!" John snapped, his attitude matching that of Derek's, or at least, well on the way to matching it, "I've been a little busy trying to dodge Terminators half my life. Not much time for reading in the life of John Connor."

"You're not trying to dodge Terminators any more John!" Derek turned around, his glare remaining in place as he stomped away up the hill, trying desperately to contain his temper, but John was really pushing him. "You're supposed to be trying to learn how to beat them! Why the hell else would I be going to all this trouble?"

John shook his head, the days events actually causing him to laugh, he was just past caring, "What can I say, I've survived so far. I think I'm doing a pretty decent job, not to mention in my past lives I didn't have Cameron, or you, or Amy, or a liquid metal ally with an army of machines at her disposal." John scoffed, shaking his head, "I've already got an advantage over those other versions of me."

"So what? You can just hang out, sit on your ass and hope for the best?" Derek released a low growl, that John had the gall to make light of just how fucked he was being something he just couldn't take, that and the fact his piece of shit phone was still refusing to establish a connection to the network. "The only person a leader, a _real_ leader, should have to rely on is himself."

"Well that's the point isn't it? I do rely on myself," John stated confidently, "Other me's have won without the help of others. The way I see it is that I'm on equal ground with them, and now I'm doing even better with all the added help." John grinned, that statement making perfect sense in his head.

"Those 'other you's', were toughened up by years of labour in a Skynet work camp, John." Derek rolled his eyes, turning around and checking his phone again, despite having only made it about a yard higher since he'd last checked it, "And trust me, they actually accomplished something before they were half as cocky as you are."

John stopped in his tracks, stuttering for a moment before collecting himself and jogging up behind Derek, "Cocky? You think I'm cocky?"

"You're damn right I think you're cocky!" Derek finished off the last few steps of the incline they were on with a few loping strides. After a moment, he started walking around in circles, staring down at his phone, just willing for that first bar to light up on the signal gauge. "You tried to take on a small army, by yourself, John. As happy as I am that you're finally getting over that shit your mom put in your head about always running, suicide isn't an acceptable battlefield tactic."

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to let Charley die, is that it? Let a man die to save your own ass, didn't realise that was in the book of modern warfare." John rolled his eyes, once again having to listen while someone berated him for trying to save the man he looked up to like a father. "I won't be that guy Derek. I got enough of that shit from Cameron a couple of nights ago." John subconsciously let out a low growl just thinking about it.

This break was supposed to be helping him to get his head clear, and yet all he'd been able to think about was setting things straight with Cameron, about getting his mom some medical help, about getting his fucking life in order. He could've done that in the comfort of his own home, but no, he'd been dragged out to the middle of nowhere with his asshole of an uncle who was just using it as a chance to get some revenge he was sure.

"I…oh, thank God! Shut up for a second!" Derek stopped mid sentence and waved his arm towards John dismissively, punching in his speed dial as quickly as he could before the weakest cell signal in human history crapped out on him, holding the phone to his ear like a man waiting to hear if his $1000 bet had come through from his bookmaker.

John stopped himself mid retort to stare disbelieving at his uncle, mostly at how he could go from a berating to telling him to shut up at the drop of a hat, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I thought I said shut up?" Derek growled dismissively. Then suddenly, before John's eyes, the Derek he knew disappeared, replaced by a guy with a bright, beaming smile, his face looking more relaxed than he'd ever had the pleasure of witnessing. "Jess! Hey, babe. Can you hear me?"

"Are you freaking kidding me?" John glared incredulously at his uncle, coming to the realisation that he'd dragged his ass miles off course just so he could talk to his girl.

"No, we're still…Jess? Babe?" Derek pulled the phone away from his ear, only to see the very unpleasant message telling him his call had been disconnected after three seconds and a notification that he'd lost the signal he'd worked so hard to get. "FUCK!"

John had been staring at his uncle the whole time since he'd told him to shut up. Finally shaking his head in disbelief, partially at watching Derek fiddle with the buttons, and mostly from the fact that he'd been dragged halfway up a hill so that he could call home.

Stomping over with more purpose than he'd managed ever since they first arrived at this God forsaken place, he snatched Derek's phone out of his hands and held it out of his reach.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Derek growled, his glare telling John he was one step short of snatching the phone back and using it to slap John around a little, "I made a promise!"

John stared down at the phone for a moment, considering his next actions _very_ carefully. Deciding he'd had enough shit to last him a lifetime over the past few weeks, he flicked Derek's phone away with a sharp movement of his wrist. Both Derek and John looked over and watched it scraping away over the rocks they were on until it smacked in to a tree a few yards away, John switched his gaze back to his uncle, glaring at him as if the roles were reversed and he'd just had his phone tossed.

"You brought us all the way up here just so you could get a fucking signal? You've been filling my head with all this responsibility bullshit and here you are putting everything aside to call your little girlfriend? What happened to 'get your head out of your girlfriend's pussy John'?"

"I already know what I need to know to survive what's coming." Derek glanced back and forth between John and the phone pointedly, "I've done it before! You're just pissed off you had to actually _do_ something for a change instead of sitting in front of your computer pretending like _that_ will win the war!"

"Hey, at least I try to use my fucking brain to win a war. I've got a whole army of grunts like you who don't need to do any thinking, you just focus on blowing shit up and I'll focus on beating the hyper intelligent, very pissed off A.I. alright?"

Derek stood there for what seemed the longest few seconds of both his and John's lives. Eventually, he rolled his shoulder, letting his pack fall to the ground. "Men won't follow someone who expects the 'grunts' to do their fighting for them. Connor fought from the front, right beside us! You wouldn't survive ten minutes."

"You wanna try and prove that, huh?" John squared up to Derek without even thinking. If he had been, he'd probably have remembered that Derek was in fact a trained killer, and had been doing it since he was John's age. The last thing he should've been doing was squaring up to him and asking him to carry out a vaguely concealed threat. But the amount of shit he'd had to put up with recently had pushed him over the edge. He'd snapped, he'd lost all reason. He wanted a fight, and Derek was the only one around.

"Do you? Old man."

Derek quirked his head to the side, wondering if his nephew had lost his damn mind, "You can't be serious. Do you really hate living that much, or do you just feel like eating your meals through straws for the next week or so?"

John scoffed, the words not really registering by that point, a red mist descending over his eyes, clouding his better judgement, "And here I thought I was 'too important to die'. That's the shit I've been fed for the last sixteen years. You wanna change that, you gotta work for it."

"Oh…I won't kill you." Derek slid his sunglasses off with a smirk, tossing them on top of his pack before shrugging out of his jacket, the garment quickly following the glasses, "But if you force this, you might wish I had."

"Now who's cocky?" John taunted, tilting his head in a very similar manner to his girlfriend, eyeing Derek like he'd just threatened to kill his mother.

"I've earned it." Derek held his arms out to the side, pushing his chin out pointedly, a target for John to take aim at, "Take your best shot…_General._"

Surprising even himself, John didn't hesitate, his raw emotions having overtaken logic long ago. He swung as hard as he cold, connecting solidly with Derek's chin with a right hook he thought Muhammad Ali would've been proud of, despite the fact his hand stung beyond belief, and he was fairly certain at least one bone had cracked. Resisting the urge to clutch it to his chest, he watched Derek, expecting him to tumble to the ground like a sack of scrap metal.

Derek though didn't comply with John's wish, instead, he slowly turned his head to face the boy who'd just took a swing at him, his movement oddly reminiscent of a Terminator. Terminators could take a steel rod to the face and be unfazed, Derek looked eerily similar to that. It was about that moment that John realised he was royally screwed.

"That it?" Derek asked, his voice disconcertingly calm and even.

Suppressing the urge to mouth 'what the fuck?' no matter how much he was thinking it, John aimed another swing at Derek's chin, this time connecting and being very sure he'd broken something important in his hand, actually clutching it to himself afterwards this time.

Derek snorted a little, tilting his head to the side and spitting out a small glob of blood, "Your mother hits harder than that."

John swung again, this time however, Derek caught his fist mid swing. John was so surprised that he barely registered it when he started applying pressure. More and more until John felt pain lancing up his arm, his already damaged hand unable to take any more punishment. Almost against his own will, he felt his knees starting to buckle, the sheer pain Derek was causing dropping him to the ground as he desperately tried to pry his hand free.

With a chuckle, Derek pulled John up by his hand before realising it and pushing him by the shoulders, more than a little pleased when his back connected solidly with a tree behind him. Finally, he slipped in to a lazy fighting stance, "And at least she doesn't expect anyone else to fight for her."

John grimaced when his back hit the tree, fighting down the urge to let it show on his face. Instead, he focused on Derek in front of him, thinking just how in the hell he'd managed to get himself in this position in the first place. Suddenly his good old Uncle Derek looked anything but cuddly, more like a predator with a massive reach, height and weight advantage circling him for the kill. But no matter how much his brain was screaming at him to just give up, play dead and try to slide away with at least some pride intact, Derek's last comment just couldn't be allowed to slide by the side of his brain that controlled stupidity.

"I've never asked mom to fight for me, it's probably her fault I'm stuck out here with your hypocritical ass." He defended, clutching at his hand pathetically.

"You wanna be a man? You want people to respect you?" Derek didn't budge from his spot, idly hoping John would just accept the lesson and not force him to do any real damage. There was after all a good chance Sarah would kill him for it, or if she didn't, Cameron certainly would, without any hesitation. "Respect is earned."

John didn't bother replying, instead he charged forward, intent of proving a point and actually earning Derek's respect. If it took an ass kicking to do it, then so be it. Learning his lesson that Derek had a jaw made from fucking Coltan, he aimed low, raising a knee and angling it towards the larger man's guts.

Still not quite at the point of wanting to inflict any real damage to the saviour of all mankind, and to Kyle's son, Derek just wanted to embarrass the kid, put him on his ass and prove to him that he didn't know jack shit about fighting a war. John was obviously using the same 'tactical genius' that he'd displayed during the ambush where he'd charged headlong in to a firefight, he decided he might as well use the opportunity to display to John just how badly that would turn out if he carried on using it.

Sidestepping at the last second, Derek deftly left a trailing leg out behind him, casually letting John's own momentum toss him over and flat on to his face.

John groaned in to the dirt, kicking up a small puff of it in the process. He struggled to sit up before hauling himself up on to his feet, his mind working in overdrive contemplating just how in the hell he could even get close to his opponent. Coming to the conclusion he was altogether more nimble and quicker than the relative giant he was facing, he feigned a right hook and aimed an uppercut with his left.

Coming to his own realisation, namely that John wasn't just going to walk away like he should've been doing, Derek finally let instinct take over, discarding his carefully controlled defence. Blocking the uppercut with his crossed arms, he twisted his own until he had John in a grip above and below the elbow. Shoving his arm up behind his back, he fired a vicious shot in to John's kidney as soon as he was spun around, then launched him away and back on to his face again.

"Come on _General_," He taunted, the sneer clearly heard in his voice, the rank a pointed insult, "Where's that tactical ability you keep bragging about?"

John released a low growl as he picked himself up, again, "Shut the hell up Derek. Ask that question when you manage to pull your balls out of Jessica's purse." Quickly, without waiting for a reply, John aimed a kick behind him at Derek's knee, hoping to take out his base and bring him down to a more manageable height.

Derek did drop down a little, but just to catch John's boot in his left hand, lifting it up to waist height and using his right fist to land a blow directly on John's crotch. Before John had even finished crying out in pain, Derek casually flipped the boot in his hand over, landing John flat on his back, "My balls are just fine…how are yours?"

John rolled around in the worst pain he'd ever felt before, and he'd been shot only a few months back, clutching at his groin in a desperate attempt to try and numb the pain. Once the fireworks had stopped exploding in his vision, he opened his eyes enough, even managing to muster up a glare. "Cheap shots…really?"

"You think the machines will fight fair?" Derek stomped over to him, feeling no sympathy at all, lifting him up by the back of his shirt and tossing him down a small slope in a fairly good imitation of a T-800. "What's the matter John? Not as tough without your girlfriend around to fight for you?"

John came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, still clutching at his battered manhood, not caring about any potential damage to the rest of himself as he tumbled. Despite the overwhelming, blinding pain, John managed to stand up while trying not to cause any additional agony, "You leave her out of this," He growled.

"Oh, now you care about her?" By this point, Derek was just trying to get John to fight back, to show some backbone, "I thought you were still pouting about her shiny new look."

John somehow managed to forget about the lack of damage he'd been able to dish out thus far as a red mist descended again. Nobody belittled Cameron, nobody, and he wasn't about to take it lying down. Not to mention his comment hitting pretty close to home about him personally. Charging forward, ignoring the pain it caused in both his ribs and his groin, he was intent on at least knocking Derek off his feet.

Really wanting to hammer home to John just how much stronger he was than him, instead of simply dodging out of the way, Derek just braced himself for the impact, letting his irate nephew slam in to him with everything he had, barely budging an inch as his boots dug in to the dirt.

Glancing down almost pitifully at the kid struggling to topple him, he dropped an elbow between his shoulder blades, sending him sprawling face first in to the ground, "Touch a nerve?"

Without hesitation, Derek picked him up by the scruff of his neck and casually tossed him back down the small hill, watching him roll to a stop a few yards away. He stood back, propping his hands on his hips, waiting for his next move, "Come on General, is that all you got?"

Derek slowly approached, looking like he was doing nothing more than wandering over to the grill to pick himself up a burger, he reached down, intent on dragging the boy's sorry ass up and repeating the process.

John felt blinded by rage, not only had he insulted Cameron, but now he was toying with him? That shit just wouldn't fly.

Propping himself up, ignoring the pain lancing up and down his spine, John swung a leg out from behind him, looking to sweep at the back of Derek's legs, now desperate to simply take him off his feet. John knew by this point that he simply couldn't beat Derek, he wasn't strong enough, fast enough or smart enough to get the better of the man, at least in a flat out brawl anyway.

Having expected John to stay down, Derek was caught off guard for the first time, actually toppling over. Sadly for John, all he'd managed to do was piss Derek off, the older man pushing himself up on to his elbows with a glare, "You little…"

John didn't hesitate or wait for him to finish, deciding to try and press his advantage. Instead he sprung to his feet, aiming a quick kick to Derek's midsection.

Derek rolled to his side however, much faster than John thought possible and sprung up behind him, wrapping his left arm around his neck in a vice like grip, at the same time slamming his right fist in to his ribs again, and again. Only when he'd decided John had had enough did he stop, spinning him around and slamming a palm in to the centre of his chest, hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs and send him reeling backwards.

John landed on his back with a thud, breath escaping from his lungs as his eyes rolled around in his head. The lack of air and the blinding pain overcoming him and completely blocking out any other rational thought. Catching Derek approaching out of the corner of his yes, he mustered up enough strength to raise his leg and aim a kick at his uncle's knee with the bottom of his boot, hoping at least to stall any more punishment.

Derek deftly moved his leg out of the way before John could do any damage. Leaning down, he snagged him by the front of his shirt and yanked him to his feet, "Can't say I'm not disappointed."

Firing a right in to John's stomach, purposefully aiming for the no doubt still tender bullet wound he'd suffered a while ago, Derek waited just a second before yanking him back upright, "Where's this ass kicking I was supposed to get?"

Slamming his fist in to John's midsection again, Derek let him slump to the ground in a heap, towering over him and watching him clutch at the wound he'd just aggravated. It was a pointed reminder he thought of what would happen if he lost his focus. He would get shot, he would die, and he'd been lucky before, and that doesn't last forever.

John lay on his back, coughing and clutching at his bruised and battered body, wishing he had more hands to try and rub the sting away from every hurting part. Realising he'd been well and truly beaten, and humiliated by a superior opponent, John was finally able to calmly, and reasonably admit defeat. He took a moment to ensure he'd be able to speak before he actually did, "Alright, you made your point."

Derek leaned down, absolutely none of the fire gone from his eyes, "I'd better have. Because you need to realise this isn't a fucking game! The next person to do this won't stop when you're on the ground, helpless."

John couldn't stand to look his father's brother in the eye, instead he carried on coughing, trying to encourage the air back in to his lungs and fighting off the urge to roll over and throw up from the pain. He did manage a nod however.

Grabbing John by the shoulders, he pulled him roughly to his feet, "Straighten up, curling up like that only makes breathing harder…and go get my fucking phone."

Eyeing his uncle for a long moment, John thought better of arguing, of making a witty retort, hell, of even refusing. He trudged off towards where Derek's phone had landed and bent over to pick it up, clutching at his ribs as he did, trying to fight off the pain as best he could. He returned a moment later, hesitating slightly before handing it off.

Derek sighed, despite knowing what he'd just done was necessary to make sure John didn't get himself and consequently the entire human race killed, he couldn't help but feel like an asshole. He'd just beaten Kyle's son to a pulp, "If it was Cameron, you'd make this call. I take enough shit from Sarah about Jessica, I don't need it from you. I've respected your decision to…'be with' Cameron. You owe me the same."

John nodded in silent agreement before picking up the stuff he'd dropped earlier with a pained groan. Slinging his pack over his shoulder with a hiss, he trudged off after a quickly disappearing Derek. "Hey Derek…" he hesitated for a moment, waiting for his uncle to stop and turn to face him, "Thanks."

* * *

Handing one of the largest bags of cookies that money could buy off to Amy, Jessica settled herself down on the couch next to Cameron, handing her off a large glass of Coke. "Is she okay watching this?" She motioned towards Amy lying on her belly on the floor in front of the massive TV in her apartment.

Cameron glanced down at the sugar water in her hand and shrugged, placing it gently on the table in front of her, "She loves cartoons, it should keep her sufficiently occupied."

Taking a sip of her own coke, Jessica eyed the glass she'd just put down, "Uh, would you like something stronger? I know you're not twenty one yet, but I think it's okay so long as you don't tell your mom. I can get Joseph, my driver, to take you two home if you'd like." Normally she wouldn't have offered, but wine with her girlfriends was just such a magnificent icebreaker usually, and she had the feeling she'd need it to break the veritable iceberg that was Cameron.

"No thank you... I'm watching my figure." Cameron simply didn't see any point in ingesting empty calories that wouldn't help her rebuild her synthetic skin in the slightest, "Though it's good you enjoy alcohol, it seems to be one of Derek's favourite activities."

"Well, he's not an alcoholic or anything...is he?" Jessica asked with a quirked eyebrow, he didn't seem like an alcoholic anyway.

"No," She shook her head, "But he does use it as a coping mechanism. It's very common among Res..." Cameron caught herself at the last moment, shocked at how comfortable she was becoming around Jessica in such a short amount of time, "Soldiers."

Jessica nodded sadly, thinking about her man, "Yeah, he told me it was tough to get through. Do you miss your dad?" She asked, not really knowing if the kids even knew him or not.

"John and I never really knew him." Cameron replied, deciding to stick with the truth.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She frowned, sensing she'd hit a nerve, "So, you were saying about your boyfriend?" She asked, trying purposefully to lighten her tone.

"I don't understand his behaviour," Cameron replied, looking down at her hands, which seemed to be the closest thing to embarrassment Cameron ever exhibited, "I keep trying to engage him, but he doesn't seem interested."

"So, dump his ass. You could do better." Jessica patted Cameron on the shoulder gently, forgetting their history for a brief moment, forgetting her uncomfortableness around the girl too.

"No... I can't." Cameron glanced up at Jessica, shaking her head vehemently, paying no attention to the touch, "He's the only person I've ever had... feelings for."

She still couldn't bring herself to use the L word, much to her dismay.

"Well, there are plenty more fish in the sea. First love rarely ever works out." Jessica reminded her sympathetically. She wasn't all that much older than Cameron, but she had the feeling she was more experienced, and had been burned before.

However her tone told Cameron that she wished it wasn't true, Derek was the only man she's ever truly loved, previous men just didn't compare.

"But I want it to, more than anything." Cameron didn't budge an inch, if anything getting more vehement, "He's a good man. To be precise, he's the BEST man."

"Look, honey..." She sighed, seeing just how desperately in love the poor girl is with what sounded like an asshole, and how worked up she was getting about him, "Just don't pin your hopes on one guy alright. He can't be all that great, otherwise you wouldn't be getting upset right now would you?"

"You don't understand," Cameron snapped a little, getting defensive of John despite all he'd done to her recently, "He takes care of me. He loves me. I just want things to return to the way they were before my accident. I miss making love with him... more than I thought I would."

Her revelation at that thought surprised even herself. Despite not having gained the intense pleasure John kept assuring her was possible through the act, she really did miss the closeness to John it provided.

"Okay, okay," Jessica responded soothingly, trying to get her to calm down. "Tell me about it, is your accident the only reason?" She asked, eyeing her gloved hand.

"Every time I try to engage him, his eyes go straight to my... damage." Cameron shrugged, looking unusually uncomfortable, "It's all he can focus on. I believe it frightens him." She neglected to mention that she may have said some things, particularly that the man's, kind of father was expendable.

Curiosity finally getting the better of her, Jessica eyed her hand again, "Can I see it?"

Cameron pulled her hand back towards her body protectively, quicker than Jessica had ever seen any human appendage move, "No! It's still healing."

"Okay!" She held her hands up, backing off slightly. "So um, is it just the sex that isn't happening? I mean, will he still kiss you, touch you?"

"He still kisses me, on occasion... but it has definitely decreased in frequency." Cameron glanced up at Jessica almost pleadingly, "It's your job to be desirable, correct?"

She nodded, a little confused at the sudden shift, but willing to go along with it, "Mmhmm"

"Can you... teach me?" Cameron asked, looking decidedly timid, almost desperate.

"Teach you?" She asked, clearly confused as she quirked a brow.

"My experience is limited." Cameron glanced over to Amy, picking up the way the tiny machine's head was tilted just a fraction to one side indicating she was listening in, "My boyfriend is the only person I've ever been with, and it took surprisingly little effort to convince him to have sex."

Jessica chuckled, starting to really like how innocent this girl really was, despite her unusual ability to intimidate, "Yeah, guys are easy aren't they..." Her laughter subsided after a moment, leaving her to eye Cameron questioningly, "You're serious?"

Cameron decided to approach the question logically, as any good machine would, "Who else could I go to?"

"Well, don't you have your girlfriends for this kind of thing?" She asked a little sympathetically, certain that she must have had at least another girl her own age to talk to about this stuff, "Some of them must have..."

"I don't have many friends." Cameron confirmed, glancing back to her hands, "Outside John that is."

Jessica frowned, "Eww, yeah, you can't ask him can you?" She asked with a sigh, biting the bullet as it were.

"Alright, what do you want to know, I'll try and help as best I can, but there are limits to how...personal, I'm willing to go."

As always, Cameron really didn't understand the woman's embarrassment about something as basic as human sexuality, "How to you entice Derek? He seems infatuated with you."

"Well uh, I just always look my best I guess..."

"Do all men find the same things attractive? Lingerie, like you model?"

"Well, yeah, that's a pretty easy one. But it's how you act too I guess." She answered with a blush, hoping she wouldn't press the issue much further, and yet, she had a feeling she would.

"How I act?" Head tilted to the side, Cameron looked more interested by the second, "I thought sexual attraction was based on physical appearance? Especially with adolescent males."

"Well, it is, but you gotta know how to use what you have." She confirmed with a smile, starting to like the idea of taking the young woman under wing. She'd never had any siblings, but always wondered what it would be like to be a big sister to somebody, to impart advice.

Amy yelled out suddenly over the noise of her cartoons, "What are you two talking about?"

"Sex." Cameron pivoted back to Jessica, nodding eagerly as if nothing was out of the ordinary, "What do I 'have'?"

Jessica's eyes flew wide at her frank answer, she glanced over to Amy to make sure she's alright. The little girl appeared unfazed, still laying watching the TV, legs kicking around in the air happily, "Um...you have this," She wafted an arm vaguely in the direction of Cameron's body.

"All women have bodies." She shrugged, "Not all women are considered sexually attractive."

Jessica rolled her eyes, "What I'm saying is, that, you have a nice figure. I'm sure your boyfriend likes it too. Try using it to your advantage!"

"How? My figure remains unchanged, and he hasn't been interested."

"Just keep in mind that women have curves that men find irresistible. Just make sure that every little movement you do shows them off, keep his attention away from places he shouldn't be looking."

"So I need to find ways to draw his attention away from my hand, and to my 'curves'." Cameron nodded along, filing away every detail for later use with John, "What else?"

"Well..." She looked a little reluctant, hoping that Cameron wool have gleaned enough 'advice' for one day. It was like the girl just hadn't been living in common society her whole life. "There's more to sex than just, well, sex. Have you ever just...done all the work. You know, taken charge?"

Cameron quirked her head to one side, clearly confused, "I've been on top. Is that what you're referring to?"

"Well, yeah, kind of. But if this guy is as nice as you say, I'm guessing he usually puts you first, makes sure you're...taken care of?" Jessica asked, blushing several shades of red.

She nodded quickly, wondering how Jessica could possibly have known that about John. She might just be more observant than she'd given her credit for, "Yes. He always tries very hard to make sure I achieve orgasm."

Jessica rolled her eyes, nervously glancing at Amy who just happened to turn back, picking herself up off her belly, "What's an orgasm?" She enquired in a sweet and innocent voice.

"Watch your cartoons, Amy." Cameron turned back to Jessica, her tone a pitch perfect imitation of an impatient older sibling, "I thought men preferred to be in charge in sexual situations? Male pride is very potent."

Amy slumped back down on her belly with a huff and a small smirk, getting immense enjoyment from listening in, despite knowing that Cameron knew exactly how much she could hear.

"Well, it is important, but guys like to be taken care of sometimes, it makes them feel in charge when a woman does all the work and they just lay there. Plus it means you'll have a favour to call in at some point..." Jessica said with a smile, besides, sometimes she liked being the one in control.

"So I _should _be on top then?" Cameron enquired, looking as if she really was making an internal list of things to try.

"I'm not saying all the time, maybe just occasionally. If he has trouble focusing on you rather than your arm, then make him focus on you."

"But that requires we be having sex, the problem is convincing him to have sex in the first place. Are there ways to... motivate him?"

Jessica smirked, finally they were at the root of the issue, "Of course, that's where the lingerie comes in handy...or," She shrugged innocently, "You could just go without."

"I don't really have much lingerie," Shrugs, "We've only been having sex for a short time."

She had the items she bought from the mall, but had the feeling that variety was important, and she's already worn a couple of them before.

"Okay..." Jessica paused to think about it, "Then just throw on something a little skimpy. Regular panties will do fine, and maybe just throw on one of his t shirts, guys love that look."

"But I thought I was supposed to show off my curves?" Cameron asked, decidedly confused, she trusted the woman, but she wanted to make sure she got everything right. She didn't want to risk making things even worse like she had during her very first clumsy attempt at seduction during the 'Riley era'. "He is quite a bit larger than I am, his clothes are very baggy on me. Why would he prefer that?"

She rolled her eyes, despite her good intentions starting to get a little impatient, "Fine, wear nothing. I'm sure he won't be able to resist you either way! But you did ask me to teach you, there are more than just one way to act or dress to seduce a guy."

"What about 'foreplay?' Cosmo insists it's very important, but to this point it hasn't been a very integral part of our lovemaking."

With a small sigh, Jessica laid her hand on Cameron's, "Look, Cameron, honey, I really don't want to get in to this in front of your baby sister. Besides, maybe it's best if you just work some of these things out for yourself. You're a smart young woman who's just coming in to her own, I'm sure you'll do fine." She smiled and patted her hand where it rested in her lap.

Cameron nodded slowly, quiet for a long moment before turning back to her, although she would have liked to have gleaned more information, she was grateful all the same. "Thank you. You didn't have to help me, but you made an effort, and I appreciate it."

"You're welcome sweetie!" Jessica smiled, happy to have finally gotten something positive out of the girl, even if it was embarrassing beyond words, "Come to me any time if you need more advice...but not now. Now, let's just watch the rest of the movie."

Cameron turned back towards the television, "I'll remember that. For what it's worth, I believe you're likely to be a positive influence on Derek. He has seemed... happier, lately."

Jessica smiled shyly, hearing those words like music her ears, remaining focused on the TV, "Amy, do you need any more juice honey?"

Amy nodded enthusiastically, holding up an empty glass and grinning ear to ear at what she'd just been listening to, "And more cookies please!"

* * *

**I hope that made up for any problems people might have been having. Thanks to Dekardkain for helping me get this out so fast. he next chapter might be delayed while I take a little break, but it will be well worth it, trust me.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi,**

**Thanks so much for the generally positive reviews to chapter 16, it means a lot.**

* * *

"Check it out, it's homemaker Barbie!"

Cameron glanced up from tucking the brand new sheets under the brand new mattress of her brand new bed. An uncharacteristically defiant narrowing of her eyes letting Sarah know just how much the cyborg wasn't amused.

"Martha Stewart-bot? No?" Sarah ventured again with a smirk as she leaned against the door frame, coffee in hand.

Again, Cameron narrowed her eyes, this time however not bothering to look up from her work as she picked up a pillow case and set to work cocooning her brand new pillows.

"So that's a no on Martha Stewart-bot. Ok," Sarah shrugged against the doorframe, taking a sip of her coffee as she watched the cyborg work with more efficiency than even the real Martha Stewart could've mustered up when it came to changing a pillow case.

"What do you want Sarah?" Cameron asked, not quite with hostility, but not exactly overly cheerful and friendly either.

Shrugging again, she pushed herself up away from the doorframe and entered the room properly, cupping her hands around her coffee. "You've really moved yourself right in here haven't you?"

Cameron stopped her work, pillow half in the case and looked back over her shoulder at Sarah, "Would you prefer your son to sleep on a bare mattress…or the floor?"

"That's not what I was referring to," Sarah replied with a small tilt of her head, almost as if she was appraising the girl in front of her.

"Oh," Cameron carried on with her work, "Then what are you referring to?"

"The bed turned up today?" Sarah asked, sidestepping the question, very well she assumed.

"It did. The delivery men were…insistent, on bringing it up the stairs for me," Cameron neglected to mention that the men even offered to help her 'break it in', an offer she politely refused, she also ignored Sarah's obvious sidestep of her question.

"Oh, did you let them? Bring it up for you that is," Even when she was in a totally casual setting, Sarah's attempts at small talk sucked, they really sucked. She just wasn't the pleasant small talk type.

"I did." Cameron finished placing her now two finished pillows side by side at the head of the bed and turned to face Sarah, staring at her intently with as blank a face as possible.

She wasn't normally confrontational, but Cameron knew that Sarah had something on her mind. Why she was shuffling from foot to foot and not just getting straight to the point she didn't know, but Cameron also had a lot on her own mind.

She had a distinct feeling that today was going to be one of the most pivotal in her relationship with John. Today was the day he returned from his trip away with Derek, and if all things worked out well, the day she would reconcile with him.

She didn't like it when she was't in a blissful relationship with John, despite the fact she'd only been in a one for a short while. She found she missed John, and had grown to dislike the periods spent apart more so than she ever thought she would. She'd always lived for John, to protect him, but now she found she couldn't bear to be away from him, especially when it was over something as small as a disagreement.

But she knew the disagreement wasn't the only reason for it. Many factors contributed to the small blip on the path to harmony, however none of those blips were her fault, they were all John's problems, all John's hangups. By all rights, she should've been the one to be pissed with him, not the other way around.

She was willing to accept to a certain degree that John was complex and his choice to enter a relationship with her, and reveal it to his family, must have been weighing heavily on his mind. She knew that he loved her, but still, he was about to shack up with the machine sent from the future whose original intention was to kill him. It had to be something of a road bump for him as much as it was for everybody else.

But she herself wasn't quite sure how she felt. Sure she was hurt and disappointed at the way he'd been treating her, but she couldn't fight off the feeling that somehow she didn't care about all that. She knew she should really have dumped him, threw his clothes out of the bedroom window and then removed all traces of him from her life. But she wasn't a human girl, that would never happen, ever.

Was that not love, was that not what love meant? The ability to forget about your partner's transgressions, no matter how bad their crime? Cameron didn't know, but all she knew was that she didn't want her and John to remain at odds for much longer. But she should've been feeling some anger, right? She couldn't just let John get away with treating her like crap for the best part of two weeks just because the skin was missing from her arm. He saw the real her, and despite his professions of love, he'd ran a mile at the sight.

Sarah frowned, Cameron had been silent for an unusually long time, even by her standards. "Um…that's good, I guess."

Cameron looked up, snapping herself from her reverie, not forgetting in the slightest the conversation before she'd gotten lost in her own thoughts, "You didn't answer my question. What do you want Sarah?"

With a sigh, Sarah stood up properly, deciding to face the issue head on. "John is coming home today."

Cameron tilted her head, she knew that already…she'd been counting the days, or rather, the seconds. "Yes."

"You uh…you're not exactly on the best of terms with him at the moment, are you?" Sarah asked, levelling her gaze at the young cyborg.

Sensing Cameron's hesitancy, Sarah stepped forward a little, for reasons unknown to her, wanting to keep the girl calm. "It's okay, I'm not trying to pry or anything, but I'm just wondering why you're putting so much effort in to this," She waved a hand in the vague direction of the bed.

Cameron looked in the direction she was gesturing, the brand new bed she'd purchased to share with John sitting proudly in the room she would be sharing with him.

"No, we're not," She paused in her picking up of the sheets to look at Sarah, "Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Sarah did her level best to look disinterested, picking through the small pile of items Cameron had apparently ordered for 'their' room. That thought was definitely going to take some getting used to, "I just thought it might have some impact on the... happy homemaking."

"Happy homemaking?" Cameron asked, tilting her head in obvious confusion, "You don't want your son to be comfortable in his bed?"

"Of course I..." She trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Not the point. Do you still think he'll be, you know, sharing it with you?"

"I haven't decided yet," Cameron answered honestly, "His behaviour warrants a response...doesn't it?"

"It does." It was odd for Sarah to find herself in the cyborg's corner, but there it was, "He's been a jerk lately. But he loves you, you do know that... right?"

"I do, he keeps telling me," Cameron frowned, thinking about her own obvious issues with that particular subject, "Are you okay with that?"

"I don't have much choice, Cameron." Sarah's eyes took on a hard sheen as she turned to face the cyborg, "But it does mean you and I have to get a few things straight."

"Such as?" Cameron answered, setting the contents of her hands down to focus on the mother of her boyfriend.

"You told me before you don't know if you love him," Sarah held up a hand before Cameron could break in, shaking her head, "I get that. I'm glad you're not lying to me, or to him, just to make him happy. But you have to understand what it means when John loves you."

"It doesn't come easy to him, but when it does... he's willing to overlook just about anything for the people he loves." Sighing, she sat down on the foot of the bed, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, "Don't you ever take advantage of that."

Cameron stood for a long moment, considering Sarah's words. She had no intention of upsetting her, least of all now that she was being totally upfront and honest. "John is...complicated."

She looked up, "I understand his behaviour, he has told me many times about his fear of...this," She held up her arm for emphasis. "But I know how he feels about me, it is confusing how he can behave the way he is."

"Yeah, and like I said, he's being a jerk. What you need to understand is that it's not all that strange for a teenage boy to be a jerk sometimes," Sarah shook her head, looking strangely tired, "That doesn't mean he loves you any less. So yeah, don't let him walk all over you, but don't hate him for being stupid either."

"I'm not sure I understand." Shuffling from one foot to the other, she looked for all the world like a kid being told off, "I'm supposed to be forgiving, but I'm supposed to be firm too. How am I supposed to know when to be either of those?"

Rolling her eyes just a little at the absurdity of giving Cameron advice on how to handle her son, Sarah continued, "When you discipline a child, you do it for their own good. You don't hate them for making a mistake. It's not about what you _do_ Cameron, it's about what's in your heart when you do it."

"My heart?" Clearly confused, partly at Sarah's seeming acceptance and assistance, and mostly at what she should and shouldn't be doing, Cameron took a half step closer, "So you're saying that whatever I do, I need to remember that John loves me, no matter how he acts?"

"Exactly." Sarah smiled, even if it was a little sickly, patting the bed beside her, "He's scared and confused, but he doesn't hate you, does he?"

"I don't think so." Cameron hesitated, eyeing the spot next to Sarah like it might bite her ass if she sat down, "But I feel like I shouldn't have to just accept his treatment."

"Don't start that doubt shit, frankly, it's annoying enough when John does it." Rolling her eyes again, Sarah slapped the bed a few more times impatiently, "I told you not to accept it, but _never_ doubt that he loves you. He would never hurt you on purpose, do you understand that?"

"But, how do you know that for sure?" Cameron slowly sat down, making sure to keep an adequate distance between them, "You can't detect his biological signs, I can, and I know you're right, but how do you know?"

Sarah looked at the cyborg like she'd just proclaimed the Connor house Cameronia and claimed it in the name of Spain, "Because he's my son? I think I know him pretty well."

Looking down at her lap, Cameron couldn't help but regret the fact that she didn't just know these things. Everything had to be analysed, catalogued and accessed later, and yet even with her highly advanced CPU she didn't know how to handle her John.

"How will John behave when he gets home?" Cameron asked, looking up, hoping to glean some insight from the one other woman who knew John better than herself.

"You really have to ask?" Fighting off another eye-roll, but just barely, Sarah decided to lay it all on the line. After all, as much as the thought might pain her sometimes, putting things right between John and Tin-Miss would go a long way towards reducing the household drama index, "He's been gone a week, right?"

"Seven days, four hours and thirteen minutes," Cameron confirmed, her face as blank as could be.

Sarah smirked a little, the cyborg's quirks starting to grow on her... if just a little, "Wear something nice, because he'll bolt straight for you the second he steps through that door."

Cameron returned the look that Sarah had given her earlier, looking like she'd just declared that the room they were in might look better with a small cow grazing in the corner, "He will?"

"I'd like to wax all poetic about 'absence making the heart grow fonder', but he's a teenage boy," Sarah chuckled to herself, "A teenage boy who has been stuck in the woods with his uncle for the last week. Only way you'd make a more pleasant target would be if you were wearing a nightie and holding a Big Mac."

After a few seconds, the older woman's eyes narrowed just a bit, "That is NOT a suggestion."

"I understand...a Big Mac?"

"You two have been together how long?" The attempt at fighting off eye-rolls had just met it's match, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed John's tendency to pant like a dog in the presence of red meat?"

"Oh, thank you for explaining, and the nightie?" Cameron enquired, filing the red meat information away for possible later deployment.

Sarah scowled at that, her head pivoting around oddly to face her son's girlfriend, "Are you sure you two have had sex?"

Cameron narrowed her eyes at Sarah, just a little, but it was a definite negative reaction, "John prefers something...smaller."

"You did not just say that..."

"I don't intend to wear that for his return...you needn't worry about it." Cameron added a small smile to try and placate the woman

"Well, that's... good." Sarah shook her head, trying to knock that visual far, far into the background, "Seriously though. Are you... okay?"

"Yes," Cameron answered, although she wasn't quite sure she'd made any progress at all, the same lack of a decision she had earlier was still very much present. "Thank you."

Letting slip a long sigh, Sarah shoved herself to her feet, rubbing her hands together in a rare and rather unusual display of nervous energy, "Listen, if you and John need a chance to, you know... work things out."

"I mean, I'm sure Derek will run off to his little girlfriend's to lick her five inch heels and beg forgiveness, and Amy will be patrolling..." The last words seemed to come out in a single rush, the clenched teeth not helping Cameron decipher them at all, "

Icancrashonthecouchifyouwant"

Cameron's eyes slowly rose higher until they met a very red looking Sarah, "You don't need to do that. I can keep John quiet."

For her part, Sarah just stood there gaping, mouth hanging open at an odd angle. Of all the possible responses to her offer that had run through her mind, THAT had most certainly not been among them. "Uh... he's the... he's the loud one?"

"Have you ever heard noise from us before?"

It was about that moment that 'cool Sarah' decided to take a hike and 'mom Sarah' made a startling reappearance, "I thought we talked about sex in the house before the move in date?"

"Oh," Despite being the indestructible cyborg that she was, Cameron couldn't keep the 'busted' look off her face. "I'm sorry, but we were at a...difficult, point in our relationship. I believe John needed me."

"Wow... I guess teenagers are the same no matter what material they're made of," The smallest bit of good humour returning to her face, Sarah chuckled to herself, "You really need to learn to keep it in your pants, Cameron."

"Tell that to your son."

"You don't think I've tried?" Sarah seemed to get a little defensive, "I managed to hold off blondie's full-court press pretty well, didn't I?"

For once a genuine smile crept across Cameron's face, "We saw that one off very well, didn't we?"

"See? That's all I'm trying to say," Letting out a sigh, Sarah's shoulders seemed to sag a bit now that she'd finally gotten through the ordeal of getting this out in the open, "It HAS occurred to me that we protect John better when we're working together instead of fighting each other."

"I understand," Cameron said while standing up from the bed, a very serious look on her face. "I'll take good care of your son. As long as I'm functioning, I won't let anything hurt him, especially not me."

"I'll hold you to that," Sarah's sardonic smirk was back full-force, "And now that you're rooming together, I think it's about time you took over some of the leg-work so dear old mom can rest a little easier."

"Leg work?"

"You're living with John now, that puts you in a better position than I am to monitor some of his more... troublesome habits."

"Troublesome habits?" A lot of things made sense to the cyborg, but that list was pretty big in her opinion.

"Derek and I have been upping our game lately, and I know we haven't been around as much." Sarah seemed a bit depressed at that realisation, "Like I said, he's looking to you now, not me. That means you need to nut up and lay down the law sometimes."

Sarah smiled, "For his own good, of course."

"You want me to be his mother?" Cameron asked with a quirked brow, "I'd rather be his girlfriend."

"And as you learn more about humans and relationships," The older woman could barely contain her laughter, "The more you're gonna realise those two jobs are pretty much identical. Except the sex."

"I understand," She really didn't, but she felt it was the right thing to say anyway.

"Good." Sarah nodded, "So, it's in your hands now. No going days without eating anything that didn't come from a vending machine or a clown's head. No staying up all night just because he has some new theory. That kinda stuff."

Cameron nodded along, she had no intention of letting him stay up past bedtime, and she had a feeling he might not want to spend much time out of bed with her around. "I can do that."

As if reading the cyborg's chip, Sarah's eyes narrowed just a fraction, "And no staying up all night for... other reasons, either. If this becomes a problem, I'll put a stop to it so fast it'll make your head spin."

Nodding more, Cameron considered running diagnostics on the joint between her head and her body, just in case, "Yes, thank you Sarah."

Nodding a few times, Sarah spun on a heel, vaguely considering throwing together some kind of 'welcome home' meal for John. At the door frame though, she paused as a thought occurred to her, "And Cameron?"

"Yes?" She enquired, halfway to picking up her sheets, letting loose a very human sounding sigh.

"Don't let him take advantage of that anal-retentive thing you've got going on," Sarah's smirk was downright evil, "Make him clean the room himself sometimes, or he'll never learn."

* * *

"Flush beats your two pair."

Quinn watched as the slim, pretty brunette slid a pile of chips over towards him. Probably something in the region of ten thousand dollars, small change really. Hooking an arm around the pile, he drew it towards him before casually stacking his chips in their denominations. Glancing up, fingers deftly manipulating a five hundred dollar chip, he watched as the young dealer shuffled the deck with all the practiced ease of a seasoned professional.

Pulling out a cigar, he sliced the tip off with a pocket blade, a single motion all it took to prepare it for smoking. Pocketing the blade, he set the cigar between his teeth, "You must be my lucky charm."

The dealer looked up from her shuffling with a shy smile. She could've swore she never usually blushed this easily from one little comment, but there was just something about this guy that made her want to throw away her professionalism and throw him down on the card table. He was nothing spectacular, not even particularly handsome, nor well dressed, but for reasons she didn't quite understand, she just felt the urge to tear all his clothes off with her teeth.

Across the table from Quinn sat a relatively young man, neat, tidy…or he was a few hours ago working in his office. Now he was decidedly less put together, nervously fumbling with his rapidly dwindling stack of chips as he glared daggers at his opposition. "Lucky hand."

He tossed a $100 chip out in front of him, his leg jiggling impatiently as he waited for Quinn to add his 200 to the initial bet.

Quinn was barely paying attention to the cards, instead checking the time on his cell before he even bothered to flip his cards to glance at them, he upped the bet and leaned back in his seat, motioning to one of the girls walking around taking drink orders with a smirk, "I seem to be getting a lot of those tonight."

The guy opposite scoffed again, this time eyeing the waitress, trying to appear nonchalant, "Yeah, I'm sure it was all just luck." He started fidgeting, his leg jiggling while he waited impatiently for the girl dealing the cards to stop daydreaming and get on with her job already.

Quinn merely shrugged, for him this was nothing but pocket change, and he was far more interested in the woman across the table than any activity he was engaged in just to make his meeting easier. It wasn't his fault the guy he was contacting happened to be a habitual gambler, "Have a drink, it'll relax you."

Taking a deep breath, Paul tried to calm himself, keep from losing his cool and getting himself kicked out, despite the fact he'd lost his cool when he started betting half the value of his unpaid for home on the next set of cards. "I don't want a drink...I just want the cards to be dealt," He looked across the table at the dealer pointedly.

Whipping out a winning smile when the waitress sauntered over to him, Quinn gave her an approving once over and a wink, "I don't suppose your bar stocks Fosters?"

The waitress scrunched up her face, trying to fight off a flirtatious giggle as soon as her ears pricked up upon hearing Quinn's broad Australian accent, "I'm sorry Sir, but what's 'Fosters'?"

"Bloody Americans," Quinn rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Wouldn't know a proper lager if it snuck up behind you and bit you on your arse. In that case, whiskey on ice."

The waitress smiled, hers almost reaching as far as the charmer in front of her, "Of course sir." She turned on a heel and sashayed off, knowing full well he was more than likely staring at her ass as she went.

The dealer started dealing, flicking the cards around with practiced ease, "Bet is to you," She looked over at Paul pointedly, trying to keep the glare off her face.

Paul's leg carried on jiggling as he examined his shitty hand, but he couldn't back down, he had to win back what he'd lost. Trying to play it casual, he leaned back in his seat, "Call," He threw in another 100 to match Quinn's initial 200.

"Huh?" Quinn snapped his head back towards the table, having to glance at his cards to remind himself what he had before tossing another 100 onto the table, "Raise."

Paul stared at him, releasing a low growl. Realising playing it cool wasn't working, he decided to try the bluff, "Raise," He tossed in a 500, a raise of 200.

Quinn gave Paul a 'really?' look before matching his bet, "Your funeral mate."

"We'll see." Paul turned his attention back to the cards, clasping his hands together and resting his chin on them.

He usually knew his limits, but ever since the smug Aussie guy opposite him had shown up and started taking his money, he felt the compulsion to play every hand taking over. The desire to win back any losses, to bet more and more, pretty soon he was betting with money he didn't have, and somehow he just kept on losing.

The dealer turned over the three cards just as the waitress returned. Paul's head dropped down between his hands, deflated, they give him diddly squat. He caught himself in time however and blanked his face again, even managing to force what he hoped was a misleading grin.

"Your drink sir," The waitress placed the whiskey carefully in to the spot on the table hollowed out for drinks beside Quinn, letting her hand linger on the glass slightly before flashing a seductive smile in his diction when she'd caught his attention.

Quinn tossed the waitress a 100 dollar chip without looking up, wondering just when the hell his contact would be arriving and how much of this punk's money he'd have to take before then, "Enjoy yourself, love."

Taking the chip with a sexy smile, the waitress tucked it down her bra, it was against the rules to accept chips after all. One hundred dollars better off, she disappeared to get on with serving the other customers, Quinn once again stared at her backside for a long moment before turning back to the table with a self satisfied smile. He briefly considered making this place a regular visit. Relaxed atmosphere, good service, attractive women as far as the eye could see, what was not to like? Suddenly he was starting to see why his contact liked spending time in Casino's.

"Raise three," He flicked three, one hundred dollar chips onto the table. Leaning forward, he glanced pointedly at the dealer's name tag, "So, 'Julia', you worked here long?"

Julia glanced down at her name tag, almost forgetting it had her name on it when she heard him speak her name. "Six months. What about you, what do you do?" She conveniently forgot it was unprofessional and against the casino rules to have a chit chat with the customers while dealing, but there was something about this man she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Almost every night she'd get hit on by businessmen, drunks and general assholes, she'd grew a thick skin against it in her short time in the job. However this man was something different, she knew he was hitting on her, but as far as she could remember he hadn't done anything overt, and yet she found herself just wishing he'd make a proper move.

Paul, leg still jiggling, spoke up from across the table, interrupting the pair, "Call," He threw in enough chips to match Quinn's bet.

"I'm a... security consultant." Quinn smirked at his clever little title, "Just got into the country a few weeks ago."

He rolled his eyes while leaning back in his chair, looking over at Paul, "Should have quit when you didn't get anything on the last deal, mate. You're not playing the numbers to your favour."

Paul tried his best to ignore Quinn, snapping at the girl dealing, "Hey, I said 'Call'!"

"Oh, sorry sir," Julia shook her head, trying to fight off a glare at the asshole sitting to her left, maintaining her composure, she dealt a fourth card and flipped it over.

Quinn couldn't keep the smirk off his face, glancing up at Paul pointedly, "Told ya so." He drained his entire drink in one go while glancing at the time on his cell impatiently.

By now Paul was starting to get sick of the flirting between the pair. He was about to say something along the lines of 'place your fucking bet', when another guy showed up and walked over beside Quinn, the Australian standing up to greet the new arrival. Giving the newcomer a surly once over, he wasn't very impressed, around six foot, pretty plain, pretty well built, he just looked like an average guy, although…very neat and tidy, he noted.

"Lieutenant," Quinn smiled, slapping the slightly shorter man on the shoulder and motioning to an empty chair beside him, "How long's it been? Last time I saw you was in Libya, wasn't it?"

Mitchell Stewart smirked, taking the offered seat, "Yeah, pretty good payday that one."

Paul cleared his throat and glared at the new guy, running a shaky hand through his hair, "Your bet."

Stewart matched his glare, tossing a thumb towards him, "Who's this clown?"

"Dunno," Quinn smirked, handing off a cigar to his old comrade, "But at this rate he won't be here much longer, so don't worry about it."

He motioned across the table, smiling like he was a kid in a candy store, "But Julia here has been taking good care of me, so no harm done."

Paul merely growled in to his hands, he didn't have time for this.

Julia smiled sheepishly, "Sir, it's your bet," She gently reminded him, knowing the guy to her left was getting impatient, and she was being unprofessional.

"Of course love," Deciding he wanted to get the dickhead beside him away as soon as possible, he threw in another chip, "Raise five hundred."

"So, you have something lined up to keep me in beer and cigars for a while?" Stewart asked, leaning over while Quinn offered a light.

"I've got a payday lined up that would give wood to a priest." Quinn flipped his lighter back into his pocket, pausing for a long drag while motioning to the waitress, "Another one, and one for my friend here."

The waitress nodded from across the room and set about getting his drinks.

Paul considered for a long few seconds before tossing in a five hundred too. "Call."

"I'm listening, but this had better be good. I do have other offers you know." Stewart leaned back in his chair, eyeing up both the dealer and the waitress approvingly, conveniently ignoring the pencil pusher behind him.

Julia flipped over the fifth card, revealing nothing for either player.

"This guy I'm working for is exactly what you want in a boss, Mitch." Quinn said with a smirk, "Loaded and totally incompetent. The guy has access to the best weapons and equipment money can buy, including crates of experimental shit you can't even imagine. We're talking the payday of a lifetime here."

Quinn's face grew in to a huge smile, "We're not talking 'retire to an island' money. We're talking, 'which island do you want to buy?' money."

Stewart's eyes almost bulged out of his head, "Yeah, and I'm the King of England..come on."

He'd known Quinn for a long time…a long time, and they'd both saved each other's asses more times than either of them could count. But from the way the guy was talking, he was seriously starting to think it all might have gotten to his friend, either that or it the American air was starting to get to him. But the prospect of earning that much money was something he couldn't ignore, no matter how implausible it sounded.

Paul's head sank down between his hands. Raising it back up, he ran it between his sweaty palms, the fifth card still giving him jack shit.

"Three hundred." Quinn didn't even look at the last card, he still sat facing Mitchell, "Have I ever lied about something as important as money?"

Paul tossed three hundred in and flipped over his cards, not bothering to look up, just yelling at himself internally for letting it get this far with money he didn't have and a hand he didn't possess. Never before had he ever let himself get drawn in this easily, his discipline going out of the window…along with the balance of his savings account.

Stewart just calmly nodded, ignoring the idiot who was currently losing money hand over fist to his buddy, "What's the job?"

"Two pair, jacks over sevens." Quinn didn't pay any attention while Julia shoved the chips over to his pile, "Standard smash and grab, four targets, one retrieval. Bonuses on the back end, one mil cold."

Paul slumped back in to his chair, not paying any attention to the conversation. Instead he sat and stared at Julia's hands as she shuffled the cards expertly, ready to deal the next hand. That left him with less than one thousand dollars left, and he didn't really have that to spare in the first place.

"What's the catch? That sounds way too easy for all this money." Stewart let his eyes wander as the waitress returned and leaned in the gap between him and Quinn to set their drinks down on the table. Taking in a pleasant view down the front of her blouse, he grinned wolfishly, this was turning out to be a good day.

"Catch is that the target isn't exactly... normal." Quinn shrugged, "I can't tell you more until you accept the job, Mitch. Standard non-disclosure shit. But you've got my word that it's do-able, and I've already got a plan."

Mitch nodded slowly, "Two man job? Or are you calling in the cavalry?"

"I heard you've been working with a pretty good squad," Quinn shrugged, knowing his friend would wonder just how he'd been keeping tabs on him, "That job you pulled in Sierra Leone was top-notch Rambo shite. Think you could get ahold of those boys on short notice?"

Mitchell shrugged, taking a sip of his drink, the liquid stinging the back of his throat, "If the money's good."

Julia dealt the cards, placing three face down on the table. Paul tossed in his two hundred dollar bet for the big blind, Quinn his one hundred, barely even paying attention any more.

"Raise five hundred," Paul surprisingly declared, heactually had a decent hand this time, and he was willing to use the rest of his stack to wipe the smug grin of the Aussie asshole's face.

"Someone's putting on his big-boy pants." Quinn smiled at Julia while matching and raising another three hundred, pointedly not even looking at his cards. "The money's great, and the hire is supplying the heavy equipment, so no worries about smuggling in an arsenal."

Paul glared over at him, the sheer arrogance of the man pushing him over the edge. "All in!" He pushed all his chips in, the guy couldn't possibly have a decent hand yet again, the sheer odds of him winning again were mind boggling.

Stewart glanced over, paying about as much attention to the game as Quinn was, "I'll make a few calls. I'll get you your men."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Quinn matched Paul's bet, still without looking at his hand. If he lost, so what, it was a week's pay, but if he won he knew he would absolutely destroy the guy, "I wanted someone I could trust on this job. It's going to be down and dirty. We're talking Shanghai down and dirty."

"If it gets me an island..." Stewart stood up, patting Quinn on the shoulder on his way out, "I'll be in touch." With that he disappeared back in to the main casino, leaving the relative quiet of the booth.

Julia turned the three cards over, Quinn had nothing, only an Ace, Paul had 2 kings. She turned over the 4th, a four of clubs, meaning nothing for the hand. She slowly turned over the fifth, nervously glancing over at Paul…it was an Ace.

Quinn looked up slowly, a sly grin growing on his face. He'd won, and he hadn't even looked at his cards. Apparently Julia was his lucky charm. He couldn't help but launch into a burst of laugher, "Wow. I mean, what are the odds, right?"

"They seem to be in your favour." Paul's voice was deceptively even as he was forced to watch Julia shifting his chips over to the smirking, smug bastard who just took all of his money.

"What can I say?" Quinn's eyes never left Julia the entire time, taking great delight in seeing the blush running up her neck, "I'm a lucky guy."

"Yeah," Paul scoffed, "A little too fucking lucky if you ask me."

Ignoring the man's pointed looks, Quinn calmly ashed his cigar, "So, Julia... what time do you get off?"

Paul stood up abruptly, driving an accusing finger in Quinn's direction, "Fuck Julia...you're cheating, I know it. You couldn't have won all that without!"

"Mate," Quinn scoffed, "This is a first-class casino. You can't cheat the house. Besides, I was barely paying attention to the fucking game. Now calm your arse down before I do it for you."

"No I won't calm down, you've cheated me." Paul looked around and spotted the nearest security guard taking a keen interest in the commotion, "Hey, this guy has been cheating for the last hour!"

The man he'd been yelling at came over, closely followed by his equally large colleague, "Sir, calm down, take a seat." He turned to Quinn, "Sir, we don't tolerate cheating, if you're guilty you will not like the consequences."

Quinn remained totally calm until the pain in the arse security guard whipped out his attempt at intimidation, his eyes going cold instantly, "This fuckhead can't handle the fact he lost his money, nothing more. I played the cards I was dealt."

"Bullshit!" Paul jumped in before security had a chance to, the second guard subtly moving between the two, Paul and the oddly calm looking, apparent cheater, "I'll fucking take this outside right now, get my money back that way!"

By this point he was beyond rational thought, otherwise he would've realised he was dealing with a dangerous man based on their conversation.

"You hear that?" Quinn smirked, trying hard not to laugh at the red-faced pencil pusher, flashing a smirk in Julia's direction, "He's threatening me."

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The first security guard calmly asked Paul, in an odd contrast to the atmosphere of hostility in the room.

Paul looked up red faced at the security, he was about to argue until he realised that two very large men wouldn't be taking no for an answer. Besides, he could just jump the asshole outside in the parking lot. Snatching his jacket up from the back of the seat, he stormed out, kicking the chair over on the way.

Security turned back to face the still eerily calm Quinn, "That goes for you too, sir."

Quinn just calmly finished his drink, drumming the fingers of his free hand on the table idly, "But I haven't gotten the lady's phone number yet. I promised myself I wouldn't leave without it." He flashed another winning smile at Julia.

Julia smirked, despite the situation, normally she would never even consider it, but she actually did want this guy to have her number.

The first security guy reached out towards his shoulder, rolling his eyes at the bravado on display, "I'm not asking again, sir."

Quinn's fingers stopped drumming instantly, but his eyes never left Julia, "I'd take that hand off me, mate."

Forgetting his professionalism for the first time, his buddy stepping behind him to back him up, the security guard with the hand on Quinn's shoulder leaned close so that he wouldn't be overheard, "Or what?"

Letting out a long, slow breath, snuffing his cigar out in the tray and tossing an apologetic look in Julia's direction, Quinn's voice remained slow and steady. "Sorry about this, love."

Before either man could react, he'd grabbed the hand on his shoulder and yanked downwards, hard, the security man's forehead slamming into the table with so much force it cracked. Standing up, he drove the chair backwards into the man standing behind him, using the way both of the guy's hands flew down to catch it to his advantage, slamming a ridge-fist into his throat and grabbing his tie, pulling him forward and headbutting him to the floor in an unconscious heap.

Just as he was finishing with him the other man had recovered enough to throw a punch at the back of his head, which Quinn easily sidestepped, catching the arm and tossing the guy over his hip, stomping on his chest.

Turning back to Julia as if nothing had happened, an easy smile stretched across his face, idly brushing down the front of his shirt, "So... that number?"

After clutching at his chest for a moment, one of the guards picked himself up and looked around just in time to see Julia, who he kind of had a thing for, casually handing off her number to the psycho with a smile like nothing had happened. Standing up with a grunt, he reached out again, attempting to snake his arm around the man's throat from behind.

Letting out a sigh, like this wasn't even worth his time, snagging the arm around his neck and spinning the man around in front of him, punching him in the stomach to double him over before slamming his hand down on the table and driving the blade he'd been using on his cigars into the centre of it, pinning his hand to the table.

Before the man had a chance to scream and alert the entire casino, he grabbed him by the back of the hair and slammed his face down onto the table three times in quick succession before dropping him. Pausing long enough to wipe some blood from his hand on the back of the guy's suit jacket, he put the number in his pocket and gathered up his chips like nothing was amiss.

Julia just stared, and tried not to drool a little. Despite being terrified, she found herself oddly turned on by what she'd just seen. Glancing up at Quinn, she couldn't help but be a little lost for words

Leaning over, Quinn brushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, tucking a thousand dollar chip into her breast pocket with a smile, "Sorry about the mess, love."

* * *

John Connor wasn't usually one to hesitate or second guess himself. However as he stood just in front of the steps in front of his home, he found himself delaying the inevitable. He knew he'd have to re-enter the house, the lion's den as it were.

It wasn't like he didn't want to, in fact he'd been looking forward to it ever since Derek handed him his ass on a silver platter. But there he stood, stopping dead in his tracks when he'd realised he didn't have the tiniest clue how he was going to approach it.

He had a girlfriend who he'd been treating like dirt because of his own problems, a sick mother who was probably ready to yell at him for leaving her side for the first time since she was locked up in Pescadero, and Amy, who, let's face it, was the best choice of a bad bunch.

John was so caught up in his thoughts that he barely registered the fact that he'd been standing on the same spot for almost five minutes ever since Derek had dropped him off and tore away in the truck, no doubt to go through his very own repair job with Jessica. Evidently women, be they rich, poor or cyborg all had one thing in common that John was just beginning to discover. If they were pissed with you, you damn well knew it!

Taking a deep breath and ignoring the pain it caused in his chest from the battering he'd taken, he stepped forward, every foot feeling like it took an eternity to traverse. He hesitated again with his hand outstretched towards the door. Clenching his fist and summoning up the courage, he gripped the handle and pushed the door open.

Stepping across the threshold, he couldn't help but think how nice it was to be home, especially after spending the last couple of days hiking in the middle of nowhere with a pissed off Derek and sleeping wherever they felt like it. John had never been a nesting creature, but it was still good to be home.

Shucking his jacket off with a pained hiss, he hung it on a nearby hook and took a deep breath before stepping in to the living room.

_Huh, that's odd. Where's my welcoming committee?_

Nobody was in sight. No Amy, no Sarah and no Cameron. It was odd, only himself and the ticking of the clock for company.

Shaking his head, he set off for the kitchen in search of someone. Halfway across the room, he heard a low rumble of somebody coming down the stairs behind him.

"John?"

He turned around to face his mother, who rather surprisingly looked overjoyed to see him. He was just about to greet her like he hadn't seen her in years when the back door closed and Cameron appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, eyeing him with a curious tilt of her head.

So there he was, in the exact middle of the two most important women in his life. Sarah to his left, Cameron to his right in a scene oddly reminiscent of an old western movie, the two combatants facing off.

If he'd been thinking rationally, he'd have greeted both genially and downplayed the situation. But he wasn't. Instead he was fuelled by days of pent up pain, emotional and physical. All he wanted to do was set his fuck ups right, and hopefully earn his forgiveness.

Glancing from Cameron across to his mother, he flashed her a sympathetic 'sorry' look, a look which she seemed to be expecting. Sarah's head dropped ever so slightly in acceptance. John felt bad about it, but his decision was made before he even realised it. Turning his body away from his mother, he faced Cameron, took a few long strides, all the way keeping his eyes locked on hers. When he reached her, he slowly, almost tentatively threaded his arms around her waist, clasping his hands behind her back.

Tightening his grip, he pulled himself in closer, burying his head in the crook of her neck, letting her sweet scent wash over him. She didn't return his hug, something he was quite frankly expecting and fully understood. It hurt him, but he knew deep down he didn't deserve anything she gave him, so he satisfied himself by shuffling his head around on her shoulder.

What he didn't see however was Cameron's face. When he encircled her, she almost had a look of shock on her face, her arms spread to the side. Sarah was right, John chose her, over his own mother.

Cameron looked up, finding Sarah with a look of resigned sadness on her face, she knew it was coming too. But she seemed to appear wiling to accept it, giving Cameron a nod before quietly making her way out of the room, leaving Cameron alone with her boyfriend clinging to her.

Shifting her head to the side, she looked at the side of his head as he cuddled her in even tighter. He was filthy, and judging from the way he was slumping against her, he was exhausted too.

Cameron felt torn as she had earlier. On one hand, she should be angry with him, she should have pushed him away before he even had a chance to get near her. However when he'd done exactly what Sarah had said he would, it gave her pause. Still undecided, she felt John shuffle his head so that his mouth was right by her ear.

"I'm so sorry," John paused, seemingly trying to come up with something to say that would absolve him of his guilt, "I'm sorry for treating you the way I have been. It was wrong of me…immature."

He paused and pulled back enough to see her face, his eyes locking with hers before he spoke again, "You don't deserve to be treated like that, especially by me. I…I…"

He paused, releasing a frustrated breath. He just couldn't grab the right words to explain how he felt and it left him little more than a stuttering idiot, "Would you be willing to let me explain myself, apologise properly?"

Cameron remained rooted, still not making any extra contact with him than what he'd instigated. Her face stayed as blank as it always had, making his heart skip a beat all the more when she finally, after what seemed like an eternity, nodded her assent.

Nodding happily and breathing a sigh of relief, John unclasped his hands from behind her back, "Thank you. I'm filthy, I'm going to take a shower, will you wait for me?"

Cameron again nodded slowly, not trusting herself to speak. Instead she simply watched as John detached himself from her completely and stepped back with all the resigned sadness of a death row inmate. He obviously wasn't expecting much, her reaction all but confirming it for him.

Sighing, he slowly turned away, tearing his eyes away from hers at the last possible moment before heading off towards the stairs, leaving Cameron alone in the living room with nothing but her thoughts, confused and chaotic as they were.

John trudged his way up the stairs almost on autopilot. Eventually he found his way to the bathroom, skipping out his bedroom entirely and barely noticing his mother in her own room. Once inside, he slumped against the door, closing it with his weight.

_Well that went as well as could be expected._

He had no clue how Cameron would react, it was one of the reasons he liked her so much, that despite being mostly based on logic and programming, when it came to her emotional side she was always liable to throw a curveball in to the mix.

But her reaction was pretty much all he could've hoped for. Actually, he could've hoped she'd want to tear all his clothes off as soon as she saw him, but that was probably just his adolescent male brain going in to overdrive, it had been a long week. But the fact that she didn't just blank him or say anything negative gave him hope that in time he could sort it out, the humiliation at the hands of his uncle drilling the point home that patience and maturity were pretty important if he was to be the man everybody wanted him to be.

Undressing slowly to avoid inflicting any more pain on himself, he tossed his clothes in to the hamper and flicked the shower on, stepping under the spray before it even had a chance to warm up. Feeling the ice cold water hitting each and every bruise and scrape, after almost a week, it felt so good. So good in fact he let his mind wander while he waited for the water to heat.

Over the past week, he'd pissed off his girlfriend, in more than one way. He'd been beaten to a pulp by his uncle, who was kind enough to not make a mark on his face, lest he face the wrath of not only Sarah but Cameron too.

That beating had managed to drill more sense in to him than an army drill instructor could have in a year. Derek had shown him that he wasn't John Connor yet, no matter how much he fancied himself to be, he was still John Baum, still a kid, and not a very strong one at that. Sure he'd had his moments, the way he handled Jesse being one of them, but at the end of the day he was not ready to be the man who would lead humanity to it's ultimate victory. At this rate, he'd be nothing more than one of the grunts he'd belittled, and that hit home deeply with every punch that landed.

Feeling the water turning hot, he picked up his washcloth and set about ridding himself of the accumulated dirt and grime he'd built up out in the wilderness. The cloth scraping over his wounds like it was made of steel wool, John hissed with almost every movement, but grit his teeth and carried on regardless.

Pretty soon he'd have the weight of an entire world on his shoulders, the lives of almost every person left alive would ride on the decisions and choices he would make. It was an awesome responsibility, something which hadn't fully hit him yet. Despite all that, he could still only focus on his own personal problems, and he had to sort out those issues first before he could even think about helping anybody else.

Finishing up his wash, he switched off the shower and stepped out, snagging a towel off the nearby rack and roughly drying himself and his hair off. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he swiped at the mirror a couple of times to clear the fog. As he stared at himself, particularly the mottled bruises on his body, he thought of what he was going to say to Cameron.

In all honesty, he didn't have a clue. He wouldn't have been surprised, or blamed her if she wanted to end their relationship, go back to being his stony faced protector, nothing more than an Uncle Bob. John desperately didn't want that. He wanted his Cameron, he wanted her love, her forgiveness, but most importantly he wanted to be with her. He'd never had much going for him in his life and wouldn't in the future, she was one of the good things in his life, something to be treasured, not argued with and treated badly.

Sucking in a deep, deep breath, he prepared himself. Taking a couple of short steps, he gripped the door handle that lead to his bedroom. If he lived to be a hundred, he was pretty sure he'd never, ever be more surprised at what he saw when he opened the door.

Cameron was waiting for him, he'd been expecting that. She was on their new bed, he'd forgotten about that. But what almost made him keel over in shock was the fact that she'd stripped down to her figure hugging tank top and panties and lay on her side in a downright seductive pose.

He was so caught up in his own shock that he barely registered her face twisting in to a look of sheer panic as she leapt up off the bed, all hint of seduction gone. She closed the gap between them in no time at all and the next thing he noticed was the feel of her hands ghosting over his body, but not in the way he expected.

"John, what happened?" She asked, her voice bordering on stark terror as she examined the array of bruises marring his torso.

"Huh, oh," Doing his best to ignore the obvious effect her hands roaming over her body, and the way her delicate perfume washed over him as soon as she came close, John tried to block out the pain her feather light touches were causing to focus on her, "It's…it's nothing."

Gently encircling her wrists with his hands, he tried his absolute best to get her to look up at him, rather than looking, and probably scanning his body. When she didn't pause her movements, seemingly trying to map out every single mark with her fingertips, John ducked lower, trying to catch her eye, "Cameron, it's fine," He assured, in the gentlest voice he could muster.

"You're damaged!" She replied abruptly, ignoring his words and instead continuing her inspection undeterred.

"Cameron, I swear, I'm fine." John tried again, his voice calm and soothing, laying his hands on top of hers as they danced over his ribs, her movement stopping when he wrapped his hands around her smaller fingers, metal and all. Her eyes finally meeting his after several moments spent staring confusedly at his hands on top of hers.

A moment later, Cameron detached her hand from his and raised it up to gingerly touch seemingly random spots on his head, her eyes following the movement of her hands. John remained content to let her do her work, no doubt checking for a concussion, after all, if somebody had claimed to be fine with the amount of bruising he had, he'd think they were crazy too.

Instead what he focused on was the fact that he still had his hand wrapped around her bare metal fingers, right over his heart. Cocking his head to the side with a smile, he found it oddly comforting that she still saw fit to care about him after everything that had happened. "Cameron, I promise you, I'm fine.

Reaching up to gently take hold of her hand, he pulled it back down between them, her eyes shifting focus to his, confusion evident on her face, "Me and Derek…well, we just got in to some hand to hand training, that's all."

Cameron looked down again, highly sceptical. There was no way Derek, no matter how much she doubted his honesty, would ever inflict this much damage on his nephew unintentionally, or during 'training'. She knew that John was protecting somebody, most likely Derek from her. Before she could question him on it, he'd shifted his attention back to her.

"What's all this about? I thought you'd be ready to throw me out of here, not," he waved his hand in the direction of her attire, "Whatever this is."

"I had a talk with Sarah," Cameron clarified to a clearly confused John, putting aside the issue of his bruises for now, although she did make a note to have a word with Derek about it at some point.

John though looked more confused if anything, "And she told you to do this?"

"No, Jessica told me to do this," Cameron coked her head to the side. John's face looked like somebody had just thrown a book of five hundred page book of math puzzles and told him to solve them all in ten minutes. Confused was an understatement.

"Cameron…" John resisted the urge to throw his hands up in the air in frustration, "Not that I'm not happy that you're even speaking to me at all, but you're not making any sense. What did mom say?"

Cameron tilted her head to the opposite side, picking her chin up slightly as she gave his fingers a light squeeze, "You chose me over her."

John shook his head, closing his eyes. If he wasn't already on shaky ground in this relationship, he'd have been forced to laugh at just how much sense she wasn't making, "Cameron…"

"She said that when you came home, you'd hug me before her," Cameron clarified, seeing he was struggling with the concept she was trying to relay, "I didn't believe her."

"Why not?" John asked, still shaking his head, but not nearly as confused thanks to her explanation.

"She's your mother," Cameron answered, her eyes flicking back to his damaged body again quickly, "Sarah is the most important person in your life, she always has been."

John remained silent, allowing her to explain her motivations. So far she wasn't making much sense, but he had a feeling if he let her spell it out then he'd grasp it eventually.

"I assumed that you would greet her first," Cameron took a small step closer, laying a hand on his chest possessively, "I was upset when you left. I've rarely felt that way before, I didn't like it."

Cameron shook her head, trying to relay how she was feeling to the best of her ability, given that she wasn't quite sure herself. "Since you've been gone I've been torn about how I feel. You haven't treated me well, your behaviour has been…frustrating."

Just as John was about to stutter out a response, she stepped forward and placed a slow, lingering kiss on his lips. When she pulled back, John remained with his eyes closed, her soft, silken lips something he hadn't tasted in what felt like forever. She waited for them to drift open before she continued, pleased beyond belief that she was capable of getting that reaction from him. "From what I know of human society, I would've been well within my rights to 'dump you'. But I haven't felt the need to do that."

Cameron paused before continuing, gauging his reaction. He seemed to be caught somewhere between trepidation and sheer hopefulness, an intriguing sight. "You've hurt me John. I haven't had these feelings for very long, but you've encouraged me to develop them, to engage in behaviour that makes me happy. Being with you makes me happy, but you can't ever treat me like that again…I won't forgive a second time."

John wasn't used to Cameron using such ominous words, but he knew that any kind of forgiveness wouldn't be straight forward. Hell, he was just happy he'd been forgiven.

Taking both of her hands in his again, he raised them higher and dropped a tender kiss on both sets of knuckles, skin and metal. Making sure his eyes never left hers, he spoke in a voice that conveyed his sincerity, he intended to keep the promise he was about to make. "I promise you Cameron, I will never treat you the way I have been because of my own personal issues. This," He held her metal hand up in front of him, dropping another kiss on it, "Is my problem, not yours."

Tightening her grip around his fingers, Cameron started shuffling backwards, leading a shaky John towards the bed, their bed. Her knees made contest with the edge of the mattress, lowering herself naturally down in to a sitting position. With a small smile, she shook her head, sending a few stray hair out of her face as she slowly sank backwards, pulling John lower by their joined hands.

Propping a knee up on the bed, John couldn't help but smirk at her sudden behaviour. Never before had she been so purposefully…seductive, sexy. The way a tiny movement of her arms sent her tank top riding up ever so slightly, giving him a perfect view of a tantalising sliver of skin. Grinning, he sank lower, his lips meeting hers as her fingertips came to rest lightly on his cheek.

Shuffling backwards on to the bed, Cameron pulled him with her, laying flat on the bed. Carefully, he swung a leg over to her side, straddling her hips, kissing her again, passionately. Her tongue feeling like an old friend after so long apart.

Slowly and gently,he took hold of her wrists and brought them up above their heads, a quizzical look on Cameron's face as he pinned them down on the bed. Smirking to himself, he leaned down and nuzzled her neck in just the way he knew she loved, her arms tensing slightly under his grip. Smiling against her skin, he licked and kissed his way higher, back up towards her jaw, kissing along it's length until he reached her lips again. Cameron replying in kind when she could, squirming delightfully under his weight.

Chuckling, he trailed his fingertips down her arms, teasing lightly over her elbows, past her armpits and down her flanks. Eventually he gripped the hem of her tank top and finally broke away from the kiss. Taking the hint, Cameron sat up, still with her arms raised above her head. Smiling at her eagerness, John pulled the top off over her head, casually discarding it to the side and openly admiring the view she presented to him, her bra matching her panties.

Grinning, he dove forward, practically tackling her to the bed, holding her in place with his lips on hers. Cameron's hands found their way to his back, squeezing him in closer to her as her lips pushed back at his. She certainly had to admit, she was enjoying this attention and apparent newfound playfulness in her John.

Trailing her fingertips down over his spine, she thought she should at least have the opportunity to tease back. Taking the opportunity presented to her, she trailed her hand lower, her smooth skin gliding down between them until she gripped her target, John freezing almost instantly. Then with one quick flick of her wrist, and to John's everlasting surprise, she whipped the towel that was covering his lower half off, discarding it in the same pile as her top.

John looked back at her and the grin on her face, he couldn't help but smile himself. Leaning down he kissed her slowly, gently, as if he could pore out all his affections through a single kiss. Cameron responded in kind, her fingers framing his face, keeping him as close as possible. She switched her attention to his jaw, trailing her lips mere inches after her fingers.

As she lavished attention on the stubble covered skin she found, she barely registered that John wasn't returning the favour. In fact, he wasn't moving at all.

Pausing in her ministrations, she looked up at him, only to find his eyes screwed shut, she could feel his heart rate increasing wildly through her fingertips on his neck. Then she realised her mistake. Her metal fingers had grazed his throat.

_His worst nightmares had come true as he was stuck between two machines with no hope of escape. He backed away a couple of feet when something grabbed his throat and slammed his head back in to the car. He felt his head being turned to face his attacker. He was greeted with the sight of Cameron seemingly studying him intensely, the chrome of her bare endoskeleton sending a chill down his spine. She noticed his fearful expression and tilted her head in her usual fashion as she examined him closely._

_"Don't be scared John. This is your destiny"_

_John struggled more in her grasp to no avail. She wasn't choking him, instead she was merely holding him in place while she continued to stare at him._

_"What do you want?"_

_She looked away from him for a moment while she considered._

_Just like my Cameron does._

_John was shook from his thoughts when she answered._

_"I'd like a kiss John"_

_John's eyes widened in panic as she moved her face closer to his. She noticed his renewed struggling and spoke again, her optical sensors never leaving his eyes._

_"I love you John"_

_With that she inched her face ever closer to his until John couldn't bare it any longer and closed his eyes. A second later he felt cold metal press against his lips._

John opened his eyes slowly, seeing Cameron below him looking distinctly concerned as she slowly removed her hand from his throat. That alone should've been enough to calm him down, but just seeing her reaction to it was more than he could take.

Closing his eyes again, he shook his head, barely registering the small plea she made by calling his name. He couldn't keep doing this to her, he couldn't, he was so sure he was over this, that he could be comfortable around Cameron again.

That wasn't the case, everything up to the point that she grazed his throat he could handle. However the feeling of the cold metal sliding over his neck brought the carefully repressed memories of so many nightmares rushing back.

Opening his eyes again, he found Cameron looking up at him, her inquisitive, innocent eyes almost boring holes in to his head such was the intensity of her gaze. A moment later she brought her hand up to rest gently on his cheek, idly stroking the pad of her thumb where it rested on his skin.

He faintly heard her ask if he was alright, however all he could think of was that he'd let her down, again. He was her rock, her everything, and he couldn't keep his deep seeded fears from fucking up her life. He hated himself for letting her down like this. She relied on him for guidance, to aid her evolution and development, but he couldn't even help himself much less her.

Staring down at her deep, brown eyes, he slowly pushed himself up on to his hands, and then back on to his haunches. Shaking his head sadly, he extricated himself from her and the bed and took off for the bathroom, not turning back, he couldn't face her again.

John closed the bathroom door gently behind him, clicking it closed. Leaning back, his head hit the door with a thud, adding a couple more just because he felt like it, the impact reverberating through the entire door and through his shoulders. He didn't feel the pain, it was nothing compared to what his body had been through. That coupled with the emotions racing through his mind were a very effective numbing agent.

Fists clenching at his side, he felt the sudden urge to break something on the off chance it might make him feel a little better. Casting his eyes around the room in search of something, they eventually landed on the small mirror by the door. Picking it up, he tossed it as hard as he could, unfortunately taking no pleasure at all when he watched it shatter off the far wall.

Not satisfied, and still feeling the need to vent the anger and contempt he held for himself, he aimed a kick at the side of the bathtub. Unfortunately, the thing was damn near bomb proof, his foot didn't stand a chance. Recoiling as if he'd been hit with an electric shock, he winced and hopped around, cursing himself for being so stupid, "Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

As he was trying to rub the sting from his foot, he heard the door open quietly behind him. Glancing back over his shoulder, he watched Cameron slowly entering the room, her concerned look apparent as she approached him. "John?"

"I don't wanna hear it alright!" John snapped, turning back to his throbbing foot, "Whatever you have to say, you can guarantee I already feel bad, so save it!"

Cameron frowned, he was doing it again, despite her warning, "I was just going to ask if you were alright."

Her tone suggested she might be ready to withdraw the concern she had for him, but John didn't pick up on that little nuance. Instead he slammed his foot down and turned around, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration, "No I'm not alright, you wanna know why?"

Before Cameron even had the chance to formulate an answer, John started talking, whether she wanted to hear it or not. "Where do I start?"

"Let's see…first of all, I'm John Connor!" He exclaimed exasperatedly, causing Cameron unending amounts of confusion, "I'm the guy who's supposed to lead three billion people to victory over Skynet."

John shook his head, scoffing at the same time, "Look at me, I can barely keep the people I care about from dying, how the hell am I supposed to keep three fucking billion alive, huh?"

"John…" Cameron reached out to try and lay a hand on his shoulder, but he hadn't finished, shrugging off her hand like it stung.

"Three billion," John stepped back, shaking his head, "That means another three billion are going to die when Skynet attacks. Oh, and guess who signed their fucking death warrant? Yeah, that was me. When I decided it would be a good idea to stop trying to prevent Judgement Day and just accept it, I may as well have just put a bullet in all of their brain pans!"

He started pacing, something Cameron knew was never a good sign. All she could do now was to stand and listen, sensing that John was just getting started, his responses and general attitude suggesting he had a lot to get off his chest, and she had to just be there for him.

"But hey, on the plus side I get to order the survivors around," John paused in his pacing, aiming another kick at that damn bathtub again and immediately regretting it, fairly sure he's have another cracked bone to add to his already probable list. "Me! I'm the one they're all going to look to. I'm the one who has to defeat the super smart and very afraid AI."

He turned to face Cameron, her face a blank mask as she patiently watched him vent, "How the hell am I supposed to do that, huh Cameron? I can barely keep from shooting my damn uncle out on the battlefield, and he looks nothing like a Terminator!"

Chuckling humourlessly, he leaned over the sink, staring at himself in the mirror mounted on the wall. The sight greeting him wasn't very pleasant, mottled and angry looking bruises covering his torso, "Speaking of my dear uncle, he just handed me my ass on a plate out there."

He looked across to his right at Cameron, who still remained like a statue, "He did it without even trying, didn't even break a sweat. He accused me of being cocky, and I lost my calm."

Refraining from mentioning that he did have a tendency to become over confident, Cameron stepped slightly closer, careful to avoid the small shards of glass littering the floor.

"The guy just beat my ass, and he did it for my own good!" He turned back to face the mirror, shaking his head with yet another humourless laugh, "Am I really so messed up that it takes a beating to make me realise just how unprepared I am, for everything?"

Getting on a real roll, John poured his heart out in a way he'd never really done before. The last time he'd shown such emotion was when Cameron had asked him to wipe out her emotions, before that was after explaining the Jesse and Riley situation to his mother and Cameron. Thinking of his mother brought him on to a new topic, something he'd been suppressing for altogether too long.

"Then I come home and have all the shit to worry about here," John turned away from the mirror and away from Cameron, running a pair of shaky hands tiredly over his face and the stubble decorating his chin, "Mom is sick. I know it, you know it, she knows it. But she's too stubborn to admit it and would rather suffer on her own."

John shook his head in disbelief, letting his arms swing by his sides, finally seeming to slow down and breathe, if a little shakily. "She's getting worse…I'm afraid I'm going to lose her."

He turned back to Cameron, again her confusion only grew when he was wearing a smile, albeit a very strained smile. "Ironic right? I'm condemning three billion people to death and I'm worried about losing my mom."

Shaking his head again, he sat himself down in the edge of the bathtub and settled his head in his hands, defeat seeming to claim him as he put up the last vestiges of resistance before his carefully put together exterior crumbled. "I can't even touch my girlfriend because I'm afraid of her."

His revelation stung Cameron, although it was unintentional. Although she knew it was his fear of machines, no, Terminators, that was causing his issues, hearing him admit it was something she didn't want to experience. Although, in a sense it brought her a modicum of comfort to know that he still wanted to touch her, to hold her. It wasn't something she'd done, or hadn't done, or even what she was. It was because John couldn't get past his own subconscious to follow what he desired in his conscious mind, her.

Slowly and almost silently, Cameron stepped forward. After a moment's pause to consider her next actions, she gently laid her hand on John's head, slowly running her fingers through his short hair.

Face still buried in his hands, John's voice came out barely above a whisper, laced with emotion and downright despair. "I can't do this, Cameron."

When he looked up, Cameron's felt a pang of something she'd never felt before. A sensation she would be in no mood to repeat. Her John was…crying. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy as he looked at her, almost pleading with her to understand.

"I can't be the man everybody needs me to be," He managed to croak out, sucking in a shaky breath or two, "I'm going to let them all down, and so many people are going to die because of me."

Burying his head in his hands again, John felt Cameron moving closer, her gentle fingers roaming down the back of his head, stroking his hair soothingly. "My mom is the strongest person I know, and I'm going to lose her too."

Taking another shaky breath, he picked his head up out of his hands and stared straight ahead, speaking in a low and eerily calm voice, "I killed five people during the ambush, Cameron. Five people, shot, by me…and I didn't even blink, I just killed them."

Feeling a renewed set of tears approaching as he pictured the faces of the hired mercenaries he'd shot and killed, he looked up at Cameron, who still remained quiet as she carried on gently stroking the back of his head. "You're the best part of my whole life, and I've been treating you like crap just because of my own issues."

Finally breaking, new tears rolling down his cheeks, John screwed his eyes shut and let his head drop. If he hadn't been sitting down, he'd have collapsed, what little energy he had being completely sapped.

Breaking down completely, he started sobbing, the gravity of everything he's just confided to Cameron finally hitting him after years of repressing it all. The 'normal' life he'd been trying to live was now a ridiculous fantasy. He was John Connor, normal wasn't something he could ever have or know. His relationship with Cameron was about the most normal thing he could ever hope for, no matter how absurd that was in reality.

"I'm sorry, Cameron."

The woman had stood by him during his freakouts, his immature behaviour and apparently was willing to stick by him during his breakdowns too. Opening his moist, glassy eyes, he saw a pair of bare feet in his field of vision. It was about that point that he realised just how soothing her delicate touch was on the back of his skull.

He'd always thought he was her rock. It turned out she was his also.

All through this, she hadn't said anything, questioned him or even tried to help in any way. She'd simply been there, there for him. If that wasn't love, he didn't know what was, and he was pretty sure she'd realise it soon enough.

Finally lifting his head up, her perfect, smooth waist was mere inches from his eyes. Leaning forward, her rested his cheek on the smooth, slightly cool expanse of skin, listening to the very, very faint whine when she moved, no doubt pistons and servos carrying out their duty. Oddly enough, for all his bluster over recent weeks about her exposed arm, he took an odd comfort in hearing the sound coming from deep within her mechanical belly.

It comforted him to know now that she was stronger, much stronger than him. The realisation that he wasn't invincible driving the point home that he couldn't afford to let the little things bother him any more, especially where Cameron was concerned.

The aforementioned cyborg looked down at her John with a tilt of her head, idly grazing her thumb around his earlobe in a gesture she hoped was comforting. For all her intentions to let John know exactly how she felt, when she'd seen him crying, she'd stopped in her tracks. John wasn't weak, and bottling things up was one of his more dangerous personality traits. So to see him in his current state made her want to do nothing more than to help him.

She looked down again when she felt a pair of warm, moist lips press against her synthetic flesh, just above her belly button. He kissed her again, slowly, gently, almost apologetically, as if he didn't want to hurt her any more, as if a kiss could sting her if he tried too hard.

He brought his hands up to rest on her hips, slowly drawing his lips across her skin, dropping a kiss here and there, his fingers grazing her sides delicately.

"John…"

John paused in his ministrations, eyes bloodshot, his expression desperate and full of longing. He waited for her to speak, anxious, nervous of what her reaction would be. Would she tell him to stop? Would she want to tell him how she felt? Would she ask a question?

"Take me to bed."

Needless to say, John was surprised. Her simple response wasn't a question, it was an instruction, albeit spoken in a tender and gentle voice, as if she could sense his trepidation. His eyes followed her movements when she reached out her hand, her metal hand to him. Glancing up at her face again, he silently took the offered hand and stood up on shaky legs.

He felt her grip tighten around his fingers as she formed the faintest of smiles at his acceptance. Without a word, she turned slowly on a heel and set off towards the bedroom, again carefully avoiding the fragments of glass littering the bathroom floor, silently guiding her lover through the debris. John followed behind like an obedient puppy, as near to autopilot as was possible.

Stepping in to the bedroom, Cameron stopped and reached behind John to close the bathroom door. Placing her free hand on his hip, she manoeuvred them around and started gently pushing him back towards the bed, in a role reversal from their earlier aborted attempt. John's eyes remained locked on hers the entire way as he allowed her to guide him.

"Cameron…"

John started, but was cut off when Cameron deftly rose to her tip toes and pressed her lips to his, effectively silencing him. When she pulled back and settled down on her feet, she gently pushed him back so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Let me take care of you."

Again, it wasn't a question, only Cameron could take something so well intentioned and make it sound like an order, no matter how softly spoken it was. Placing a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder, she pushed him back so that he was laying flat before stepping back from the bed.

John watched as the woman he loved reached around behind her back, a second later his eyes followed her bra to where it came to rest on the floor. After a short moment of staring at it, his eyes trailed higher, up over her legs, past her panties to her bare chest, then to her face. Shaking himself from his trance like state, he shuffled backwards so he was laying flat on the bed properly. As odd as it was, he felt a little nervous. It wasn't like they hadn't done this before, but he had always been the one to take control, to lead her. This was new territory for them both.

Cameron kicked her underwear out of the way and stepped forward. Ensuring she avoided most of his bruises, she set one knee on the edge of the bed, followed by another as she crawled her way over to him. Swinging a leg to the other side of him, she straddled his hips and sank back, sitting on his thighs, her eyes never leaving his.

"John," She waited for him to tear his view away from her body and to her eyes before she continued, "You believe I'm capable of feeling much more than I have been?"

John nodded dumbly, assuming she was referring to sex. Cameron gave a small nod before speaking again, "I want to help you, to help me."

The very corner of her lips quirked up as she reached out and gently took hold of his hands. A moment later, and after a confused look from John, she leaned forward and placed them over her breasts and held them in place. At John's quizzical look, she clarified, idly caressing the back of his hands where they rested, "My breasts are more sensitive then most of my body…but I don't think they're as sensitive as a human woman's."

She released her grip on John's hands and rested them very lightly on his chest. She was pleased beyond measure when he started to move his hands of his own accord, a coarse thumb brushing over a delicate nipple, causing her to suck in a tiny, simulated breath of air.

John looked up at the unexpected sound, only to find a smile greeting him, a smile which let him know that this was real for her, she wasn't faking it. Perhaps it was the situation they were in, or maybe she had changed something internally, but Cameron appeared to be 'in the mood', as it were.

Cameron leaned down and placed a slow, sensual kiss on his lips while he continued his delicate exploration, simply letting himself think of nothing besides her, doing what she wanted. Her hands slowly dragged up his chest and came to rest on his face, the cold metal of her fingers coming in to contact with his cheek. To her eternal delight, he didn't even flinch. She didn't detect any raised heartbeat, nor did she pick up on any of the usual signs of his fear as her tongue brushed against his lip.

Altogether sooner than John wanted, Cameron pulled back a couple of inches, leaving him sucking at fresh air. He opened his eyes to find her smiling down at him, releasing her hold on his face. "I've always liked it when you kiss my neck…could you do that again for me?"

John barely registered the fact that this time it was phrased as a request. Instead, he leaned up, watching Cameron as she took hold of the hair that was draped over her left shoulder and flipped it over to her other side, giving him free access to her neck. That bare expanse of skin may as well have been ambrosia, such was the way John attacked it, fervently licking, sucking and kissing all over the area.

He vaguely noticed her taking hold of one of his hands and removing it from her chest. If he hadn't been so focused on her neck, he'd have questioned her, that was until she slid his hand down lower in between them. She settled it, palm facing up over her panties, taking care to place his fingers exactly where she wanted them.

Pulling back, John levelled a goofy grin in her direction as he manipulated his fingers, using what knowledge he had to his advantage. Her eyes closed as he brushed over a particularly sensitive spot, causing her brow to knit together delightfully. When she opened her eyes, she hesitated for a moment before her lips crashed against his, John releasing a low groan in to her mouth which reverberated down her throat.

Scraping her fingers up over his torso, she pulled back when he groaned again, this time in pain, accompanied by a wince, "John?"

John shook his head feverishly, setting his hand on top of hers where it hovered above his chest, guiding it back down, "It's okay Cameron."

Cameron nodded, albeit slowly, and returned her touch to his chest. She tilted her head to the side again, encouraging him to resume his attentions on her neck as her hands danced across the sparse hairs on his chest. The fingers of her right hand tangled where it rested, her left continued higher, finding it's way to the back of his head, keeping him pressed closer to her.

John groaned in to her neck when she started slowly rocking back and forth, her breasts grazing his chest bringing pleasure to them both. Reaching his free hand around, his fingers tangled in her hair, much the same way she was doing to him, pressing her closer as his tongue worked it's way across the delicate skin covering her throat.

Feeling braver, John raised his fingers up, paused for a moment and then slid them under the waistband of her panties. The next thing he knew her grip on the back of his head tightened almost painfully. Despite that though, he grinned as he felt a shiver run through her body at the contact.

Ignoring her request to lavish attention on her neck, John pulled her head down to his and met her lips. Their tongues worked against each other as Cameron let out a low groan. John pulled back and looked at her, tilting his head slightly, "I think I like that sound!"

Instead of replying, Cameron merely stared at him, head cocked to the side, almost as if she was analysing him. Then, without warning, she sat up, face and chest beautifully flushed. She hooked her thumbs in her panties and pulled them down, rocking back, she slid them over her knees and then rocked forward again in an impressive feat of agility, removing the underwear completely.

John remained mesmerised as she straddled him again and took hold of his hands. Placing them on her thighs, she leaned forward, kissing John again for all she was worth, capturing his tongue with her own.

Shifting her attention, she detached from his lips and nuzzled his neck, returning the favour. John smiled as he tangled his fingers in her hair, the feeling of her soft lips and delightfully moist tongue caressing his neck was something he never wanted to end. He idly drew his fingertips up and down her spine, smiling when she shivered and arched her back in response.

"Cameron, you alright?" He asked, his voice shaky and somewhat breathless.

She picked her head out from the crook of his neck and saw the concern in his eyes. It touched her to know that he was focused solely on her, on what she was feeling, paying attention to her responses. Without warning, she shifted her body, ran her hand down in between them, sank backwards and brought them together.

John could barely keep his eyes from rolling in to the back of his head as she lowered herself, inching them ever closer. When he did get around to opening his eyes, he found she wasn't faring much better. Her eyes were closed and her jaw hung open as she slowly got used to the sensations and feelings now bombarding her.

It wasn't the first time they'd done this, but ever since she'd first placed his fingers over her panties, she'd been feeling something stirring inside her. Something that she'd never felt before. Sure, she'd felt pleasure when she'd been with John before, but this felt different.

"Cameron…" John managed to breathe out, his eyes glassy as she slowly, very slowly started moving back and forth. John looked up at her beautiful face, her flushed cheeks, her full, pouty lips, and he stayed mesmerised for a long moment. "I love you."

Smiling almost from ear to ear, Cameron continued to rock back and forth. Taking hold of his hands, she guided them to where she wanted them, leaning forward a little to place them over her breasts as she had done earlier. She still managed a frown however at not giving him a reply, she hoped her actions would make up for it.

Leaning closer, she captured John's lips with her own, grinning when he groaned in to the contact. Purposefully keeping her movements slow and small, she rocked back and forth, moving the least amount possible, feeling significantly more impulses and sensations than she ever had before.

Previously during sex, both her and John had felt that more pace was the way to go, based on what she'd felt and been able to translate to him. But now it seemed like the tingling sensations coming from deep within her, emanating from where she was joined with her John were intensely more pleasurable than the decidedly rough treatment they'd endured before.

Voicing her newfound pleasure, she groaned in to his shoulder, gripping his sides almost comically. John meanwhile didn't quite know what had gotten in to his Cameron. It hadn't been that long since they'd had sex, and as far as he could remember she'd never been this…tactile, before. Whether it was simply another point in her development, or if her pleasure really was linked to her emotional state, he didn't know. All he did know was that it felt amazing.

Wrapping his arms around her back, he did his best to sit up with a two hundred pound cyborg laying on top of him. Managing that small feat, with Cameron's assistance, he sat up straight, cradling Cameron in his lap.

She gazed down at him as she resumed her movements, still small, still slow. She watched as John leaned forward, latching his mouth around a nipple. Taken by surprise, Cameron let out a moan of pleasure and slapped her hand over the back of his head to keep him close. Grinning, John flicked out his tongue, teasing her, caressing her, all the time her hand on his head gripping his hair tighter.

Almost overcome by the sensations and data bombarding her chip, Cameron barely remembered that her lover was only human and reigned in her strength. But the way he was gently rocking against her, creating a rhythm, and the way his tongue ghosted expertly across her chest, lavishing attention on her other breast now made her want to forget that small fact and just give in to the feelings coming from deep within.

Never before had her whole body felt so sensitive. Every touch, ever caress, every slight shift of their bodies sent waves of sensation coursing from the point of contact to her chip. The sheer lines of coding something she could barely keep up with.

John knew something was different, he could tell. Never before had Cameron been so seemingly lost in the moment, throwing her head back as he moved against her, matching her movements in a natural rhythm. He felt different too, more in love than he ever had been. Getting his issues off his chest and having them accepted by Cameron seemed to lift a huge weight off his shoulders, allowing him to fully give himself over to the experience. There was no impending war, no sick mother, no training, no Skynet.

Just John and Cameron, together.

Reclining back, John tugged Cameron down with him. She opened her eyes to find him smiling up at her, his hands resting on her hips. Gripping his shoulders, Cameron picked up her pace slightly, feeling the urgency brought on by her building sensations.

John watched as she screwed her eyes shut, he picked her hands up of his shoulders and held them in his, fingers intertwined. Glancing over, he found himself oddly unconcerned by the cold metal mingling with his flesh, instead he took comfort in knowing that whatever he was doing was causing her sensations that he was pretty sure only he could make her feel.

If she'd set out to alleviate his fears, to make him feel safe, loved, she'd certainly accomplished her goal and then some. Feeling his own release building, his head flopped back on to the pillow and he squeezed her hands tight, as tight as he could while she rose and fell in time with his thrusts.

Forcing herself to focus on her surroundings, Cameron disentangled her hands from his, the thought of what might happen to his relatively frail body something she didn't want to even consider. Instead she latched her hands in to the sturdier headboard for support.

Ignoring the squeaking of their new bedsprings, John brought his free hands up to be put to good use, one laced behind her ear, tangling in her hair, the other snaking lower, past her belly button to it's eventual goal. Cameron released a cry of pleasure when his fingers found their target, John grunting too as her legs tightened either side of his waist, putting more pressure than he'd ever felt before on his body. No matter how painful it was, he didn't want it to end, after all, he'd preached to Cameron how good sex could be, and apparently he was only now starting to discover that for himself.

John felt his own release fast approaching. Biting his lip to keep from crying out, he arched his back as it came and went, nothing more than a grunt coming from him as his movement slowed.

Breathing heavily, he opened his eyes. The sight that he found would warm his heart forever. Cameron was hovering above him, her eyes screwed shut and she herself biting her lip. A faint blue glow beneath her eyelids one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. His ears vaguely picked up the sound of creaking wood, and the next thing he knew, Cameron came hurtling towards him, her face burying in the crook of his neck. Looking to either side, she still clung to two large chunks of wood in each hand of what used to be the headboard.

"John…" She released a shaky plea as she kept up her now unsteady rhythm, burrowing her head even closer to his skin.

Not knowing what else to do, John wrapped his arms around her back and clasped them together, holding her tight as she rode the waves of pleasure tearing through her body. Running a hand down her spine, he held her close, nuzzling her neck, dropping soft kisses on the skin her found, encouraging her to do whatever she needed to do.

Burying her head in his shoulder, her movement finally did stop, a split second later she released what would've been an ear piercing scream had the sound not been muffled by his shoulder, her teeth digging in to the skin almost hard enough to break it. Her legs tightened around him, squeezing him painfully, John grimacing with each passing moment as her entire body was racked with involuntary shivers on top of him.

Cameron had never felt anything like this before, nor did she know she was capable of feeling as much as she was. What started out as a small sensation had slowly grown until she couldn't handle it any more, losing all control over her body, her mind being bogged down with data, her chip unable to process it all. The feelings John had given her were overwhelming, and it scared her, losing control like this. Using what modicum of awareness she still had left, she hugged herself closer to John, knowing above all else that he'd never let anything bad happen to her. She'd always be safe with him.

Feeling Cameron clutch him tighter, John ran his fingers soothingly down her back and whispered in her ear, "Shhh, it's alright Cameron, I've got you."

She seemed to calm down at his gentle words, releasing the grip her mouth had on his shoulder as the glow behind her eyelids faded. She still clutched at the pieces of wood in her hands, unable to let go of them, her thighs still squeezed his waist as she maintained her hold on her John.

After a long few moments, she regained some semblance of awareness, enough to open her eyes and tilt her head enough to look up at John. He still kept up his gentle stroking of her hair as he smiled down at her like a cat who just got the cream, "You alright?"

Feeling another shiver race through her body, Cameron tensed. Without a word, she slid off the top of his body, missing the concerned expression on John's face as he adjusted to accommodate her on the bed. "Cameron?"

She shuffled herself around on the bed, eventually lying on her side, still trying to fight off the shivers running through her. She felt John snuggle in behind her, his gentle fingers moving a few stray hairs out of her face, "That's never happened before."

Despite his concern that he might have broken his girlfriend, John couldn't fight off a grin as he snuggled her in closer, dropping a kiss on her shoulder. "No it hasn't…but I'm glad it did," He reached down and tugged the covers up over her nude body up to her shoulders.

Cameron glanced back over her shoulder at her lover, taking note of the grin that still adorned his face. "I've never felt anything that…intense, before," She paused, tugging the covers a little tighter around her, "Did I damage you?"

John chuckled, sliding lower down under the covers and dropping a kiss between her shoulder blades, inhaling a deep breath of her sweet scent. Finally, all was right in the world. He'd reconciled with his girlfriend, and he'd finally rocked her world, now he was settling down to sleep with her in their brand new bed. Life couldn't get any better, although he allowed himself the luxury of blotting out everything else at that moment. "No Cameron, you didn't hurt me. You've made me happier than you could ever know."

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**:)**

**Thanks as always to Dekardkain for being the helpful little person he is!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi,**

**This chapter is waaay shorter than originally intended, that's because it's been split into two parts. There are a couple of reasons, first of all, I haven't posted in like, forever. Second this chapter is pretty much all fluff/humour, I didn't think anybody could stand to read about 12k+ words of pure fluff.**

**Second part of this to follow as soon as I finish it, a few days hopefully. Enjoy.**

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Tugging his hat off with a weary sigh, Quinn stepped through the glass doors, or rather, barged through them shoulder first. He was used to running around at night and leaving all kinds of hell in his wake, but not in an overly bright office building at six in the morning. "You really didn't have to bother yourself, I think I can handle a few bloody poindexters."

"Oh, I insist," Vasquez replied, stepping through the doors altogether more gracefully a beat behind him. The man was nothing if not neat and tidy, and despite the awful hour, he looked fresh as a daisy, and just as clean cut as ever, in contrast to his hired mercenary, who looked like he'd just rolled out of the nearest bar after a hard night's drinking. "I want to know how you're planning on…obtaining our prize, and it's costing me a small fortune."

"You want quality, you gotta be willing to pay for it, boss." Quinn shook his head, hadn't he already made that point a few days ago? "We're not snatching a wallet here you know."

"No, we're not…although we could use a few after this expense you're signing over to my company." Alejandro shook his head and started walking towards the R&D department, his destination for the morning, "I sincerely hope this plan of yours works."

"Why all the doubt?" Quinn asked with a casual shrug, "I've got professionals on the payroll, a solid plan, and I've even tried to keep it in your budget. A little appreciation here, mate."

"As I've informed you before, I can't have you running around attracting unwanted attention," He sighed impatiently, the Australian grating on him in a way he never thought would happen, "You haven't done much to earn my appreciation so far."

"What attention? I bloodied a few casino workers, it's not like I robbed the place." Quinn smirked, although Vasquez never saw it, "Got a date out of it too."

"I'm soooo happy for you," With a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head, Vasquez picked up his pace. "Show me this thing that is eating through my budget please, Mr. Quinn."

Releasing a long sigh, Quinn breathed a silent 'Jackass' before opening the door to the research department, flashing a tired smile at his overly peppy and bubbly assistant hurrying over to him clutching a clipboard to her chest, "Mornin' Love, tell me you have good news for me."

"Good morning Mr. Quinn," Erin quickly brushed a few stray hairs back behind her ear, self consciously smoothing down the front of her blouse at the same time, "Um, yes. The guys think they've made progress. I'll escort you down there." With that, she took off at a brisk pace towards one of the corridors leading off from the main reception area.

Quinn sauntered along a few steps behind the woman, openly admiring the way her ass moved in her skirt, trying to ignore Vasquez right alongside him, "So, no new problems?"

"Uh, not that I know of sir, they seemed pretty optimistic." She flashed a winning smile over her shoulder at her new boss, her heels clicking away on the tile floor beneath her, "You uh…you look very handsome this morning."

"Why thank you, Love," He flashed her a smile of his own. In truth, he looked like shit, but he wasn't about to dampen her enthusiasm, he especially made sure to ignore the scoff from his boss beside him. "Not bad yourself. Doing something different with your hair?"

Giggling softly, Erin fluffed her long red hair with a flourish, flicking it over her shoulder playfully, "You noticed huh? Yeah, it's a new conditioner…I curled it this morning too." She'd also sprung for a manicure and a spray tan, but she wasn't about to mention that now was she?

Erin pushed open a door in front of her and held it open for the two gentlemen behind her, smiling up at Mr. Quinn the entire time as he stepped through, a delightful blush that almost matched the shade of her hair colouring her cheeks as he brushed past. She was knocked from her daze when Vasquez pushed past a moment later, ignoring her completely. "So, what have you been burning my money on Mr. Quinn?"

Rolling his eyes with a barely restrained snippy remark, Quinn waved his arm out in front of him, "On securing your little science project. We've already got a plan to separate it from the others, now we just have to worry about containing the fucker. Your little ice cube idea was…quaint, but I think this will be far more effective, not to mention less clumsy."

Trying his level best not to reveal his curiosity and eagerness, Vasquez let out an exaggerated sigh, "Fine, impress me."

Erin pushed open another door in front of the group and stepped through, again holding the door open for them, smiling shyly when Quinn flashed her another of his winning smiles.

"Freezing it is only a temporary measure, but electromagnets, that will keep it in check as long as you need to. We can capture it, transport it, and contain it all with one device."

Vasquez warily stepped through the door when Quinn raised his arm with a smug smirk. He was greeted by a pretty normal looking room, white walls, linoleum floor, and two guys at the far end of the room in jeans and white lab coats, quickly talking to each other and frantically flicking through piles of paper. "Electromagnets?" He tried to keep the curiosity out of his voice, but he failed miserably.

"Magnets are great, but run a little juice through them, and they're real bloody wonders. I got the idea from those cranes they use to pick up cars at the junk yard."

"So…where is it?" Vasquez asked, looking around, expecting some giant monstrosity of a machine that looked as wonderful and as powerful as he was being lead to believe.

Smirking, Quinn sauntered further into the room, "That's the point, boss. It's hidden under the floor, thus the trap part. It's bloody unlikely a machine would just march willingly in front of a giant fucking magnet."

Taking a couple of steps forward, Vasquez tentatively prodded the ground with his foot, "I don't feel anything different." He looked up at Quinn with a small shrug and watched as he nodded to his assistant, who then proceeded to scurry away.

"Then your techs are doing their jobs." Without another word, Quinn took off his watch, putting it along with his sidearm, cell phone and keys in to the pocket of his coat and set it on a bench off to the side of the room.

Vasquez couldn't fight off the sudden urge to step back away from the middle of the room on instinct, "So does it work or not?"

"That's what we're here to find out boss." Quinn walked in the direction Erin scampered off in, holding his arm out in an 'after you' gesture, "We'd better get clear before they fire it up. Unless you want the fillings yanked out of your head, that is."

Vasquez made his way out of the room, glancing back over his shoulder in time to see Quinn fire off a nod towards the techs, who then proceeded to hurry about the room, pressing buttons and doing final prep work. He had to hand it to the mercenary, he may be abrasive and downright irritating, but when he had a plan, he made sure it came together.

"Even if we get our hands on this thing, I don't know how you plan to study it," Quinn idly mentioned while walking up the small staircase to the observation room. "It'll get out eventually, you can be sure of it, and it's gonna be pissed off."

Vasquez actually chuckled at that, an evil smile slowly spreading across his face, "You leave that to me. I've been working on this a lot longer than you."

"Any new intel on the family I should know about?" Quinn asked with a quirked brow, stepping onto the small raised booth where Erin was waiting for them, "Or are you using all your little spies to follow me around?"

"Oh I only need a few spies to hear what you've been up to." Vasquez clasped his hands behind his back with a triumphant smirk, leaning forward to look out of the observation window at the front of the booth. "But no, no new intel besides what you already know…although the Uncle's…relationship, is progressing further."

Quinn sighed, rubbing his face tiredly, why were obstacles always put in his path? "That's going to complicate things. It might not be possible to keep the girl out of the fighting if she's around."

Vasquez flashed him a sideways warning look, "That is unacceptable Mr. Quinn. You know how…you know who she is."

"I do, but she's made her choice, hasn't she? She's already involved, and in danger. The uncle is practically living at her apartment. Unless we remove him as a target, she'll likely be there when we hit him."

"Then don't hit him," Vasquez ground out impatiently…_mercenaries. _"I'm not interested in some scumbag who just happened to get involved with Miss Grey. I'm only interested in the other ones."

"Fair enough," Finally catching a break, Quinn turned towards Erin with a smile, "Are we ready for the test?"

Glancing down out of the window, Erin received a thumbs up and a smile from one of the techs, "Yes sir."

"Fire it up." Quinn ordered confidently as Erin signalled the techs, fighting the instinctive desire to step back. He really hoped there wouldn't be another overload and yet another fire.

Catching Quinn flinching out of the corner of his eyes, Vasquez fought the urge to question the usually unflappable mercenary. Instead he turned his attention to the jacket Quinn had set aside earlier. At first nothing happened, he was about to say something when one of the techs reached down and pressed a button on a control panel. The next thing her knew, the jacket flew across the room, landing and sticking in the exact spot he was prodding with his foot moments earlier.

"Is it strong enough to hold her?" He asked without looking away from the jacket.

"Remember when I mentioned those cranes?" Quinn asked with a triumphant smirk, "Well this one could pick up a bloody battleship."

"Impressive…" Losing his carefully cultivated air of non-interest, Vasquez gawked through the window for a moment longer before heading back downstairs, "Come with me, leave the girl."

Quinn nodded after catching the pissy look on Erin's face. Some people just had no class, "Why don't you pick up some breakfast for us, Love? Oh, and coffee, I'm half asleep."

"Yes Mr. Quinn, sir." Erin scuttled off with her clipboard hugged to her chest, smiling over her shoulder. Quinn watched her go with an approving leer before joining Vasquez in the main room, watching him talking to the two techs on the far side, picking up a snippet of the conversation.

"So how difficult is it to use this thing in the field?" He glanced at the complicated looking control panel beside him, "Can anybody use it?"

Shoving his glasses up his nose with a firm finger, the tech tried to hide the nervousness he usually displayed around his boss, "Of Course Mr. Vasquez. We designed it to be mobile, as long as it has sufficient power, all you have to do is flip the switch. Adjustments to magnetic output are made by these simple dials." He waved a hand in the general direction of the control panel.

"Is there a setting for maximum?" Vasquez asked with a chuckle, glancing over his shoulder as Quinn approached, "I have a feeling that's all we'll need."

"Ummmm…yes sir." The second tech squinted behind his glasses, "But I wouldn't recommend it. Mr. Quinn was rather vague about what this was to be used for, but that much force could crumple a car like a soda can."

"Perfect!" Vasquez clapped the young man on the shoulder with a bright smile, "Turn it up and leave it up, then pack it for transport."

"Yes sir!" The techs then scurried off happily, milling about the room, changing settings and dismantling pieces of equipment.

Quinn sighed, folding his arms over his chest, "What now, boss?"

Vasquez stepped back over towards him, taking up a position at his side before firing off a short, sharp nod.

Walking over to the centre of the room, Quinn retrieved his jacket and slipped it on, calmly putting his watch back on and pulling his sidearm out of the pocket. Hollering over at the techs, he tried to sound irritated, "Hey, your bloody science project mangled my piece!"

One of the techs turned to him with a flustered look, carefully stepping closer, "Um, it did? I did warn you that this thing was powerful."

"Yeah!" Quinn shot off a glare at the two of them, "The barrel looks warped, the magazine is sticking, just look at it!"

They both stepped closer, out of sheer curiosity more than anything, and eyed the gun as he held it out. Both of their minds worked overtime on how they could possibly get out of this with their jobs and paychecks intact.

"I doubt this thing would fire even if I tried to use it!"

Shaking his head, he flicked the safety off and levelled it at the two men. Without a beat of hesitation he fired four shots, one through the heart, the other through the head of each man, pausing only after they hit the ground to quirk a brow, "Hmmm. Looks like I was wrong. Sorry about that, guys. Seems to be working fine."

Vasquez merely stared at his mercenary as he casually stepped up beside him. His stance hadn't changed the whole time, and he'd barely flinched at hearing the shots, "What was that?"

"What you ordered me to do." Quinn turned to face his employer, looking more than a little irritated, "No loose ends, right?"

"Did I ever say that to you?"

"No…but you nodded." He shrugged, "What else would that mean?"

"It meant, 'I'm happy with your work, good job, let's get breakfast'…" He turned away to look at the two techs, the majority of their brains splattered across what was otherwise a spotlessly clean room, "It wasn't a 'shoot these two geniuses in their heads' nod."

"Well maybe in the future you should actually use words then!" Sighing dramatically, Quinn held his hands out, "Normally a nod means 'I'm done with these guys'!"

"Just what type of person has been nodding at you in the past?" Vasquez turned on a heel and started slowly making his way over to the door, "Don't you know unexpected deaths are bad for business? Not to mention somebody is going to have to clean up your mess."

"Cleanup isn't my job, boss, just making the mess." Tucking his sidearm into his holster, he followed a step behind, "I really don't see why this is such a big deal for you. You weren't related to either of them, were you?"

"No," Vasquez glanced sidelong at him as he stepped through the door, "Those two were bordering on genius level, just out of MIT. It'll take me a long time to replace those two valuable employees, Mr. Quinn."

Quinn merely shrugged, plastering on a smile, "My bad. I'll make sure to ask next time…" He waited a beat before chuckling loudly, "I still can't believe you gave me a bloody assistant!"

* * *

_Oh, my, God…is that a damn wrinkle?_

Shoving her face closer to the bathroom mirror, Jessica confirmed that the wrinkle was in fact a stray hair, then proceeded to breathe a huge sigh of relief. Shaking her head, she finished her inspection and stepped into the bedroom. She was actually rather proud of herself, she was awake before Derek, on a Saturday, and she'd already accomplished more in two hours than she usually did in a week.

Stepping closer to the bed with an indulgent smirk, she loudly clapped her hands together, "Up and at 'em soldier!"

"Whaaaa?" Derek groaned in to the pillow, cracking open his eyes just a little. Usually at hearing a noise that loud, he'd have been up and scrambling for his pants where his sidearm spent the night, but for some odd reason, he seemed to relax as soon as he nestled in Jessica's soft sheets, next to her impossibly soft body.

"Come on baby, it's noon, don't you think it's about time you crawled out of bed?" She resisted the urge to reach out and swat his bare ass through the covers, "Even I don't sleep in this late on a Saturday…usually."

Screwing his eyes shut with contempt for the day ahead, Derek snuggled further in to Jessica's pillow with a groan, "You haven't just spent the last week hiking around the middle of nowhere with John. I'm tired, I wanna sleep some more."

"I was tired too," Jessica complained momentarily, before her lips formed in to an evil smirk, "I still let you keep me up most of the night Mr."

"I'm not gonna apologise for that," He mumbled into the pillow before rolling over, "All the more reason to stay here and sleep!"

Peeking his eyes open, very wary of the midday sun streaming in through the windows, he noticed her fully dressed, made up and obviously prepared for something, "Why are you up anyway? Meeting your dad today or something?"

"If I was having lunch with Daddy I'd let you sleep in, baby." Waltzing over to the bed, she flopped down beside him with a grin, "We're gonna go surprise your family today!"

Hesitating for just a moment to make sure he'd heard that one correctly, Derek let his head flop back down to the pillow, "You're kidding, right?"

"Of course not," Using the craft and guile only a woman possessed, Jessica pulled out the pouty face she knew usually had the desired effect on her man, "I promised Amy and Cameron I'd swing by soon, and you haven't seen your family in a week!"

"You said yourself you'd come over as soon as you dropped John off, and while you know I appreciate seeing my scruffy puppy, they're gonna think I'm stealing you away!"

"Cameron wants to see you?" Derek was so intrigued he rolled over to face her, "Wow, she usually only wants to spend time with...her brother."

"We had a nice talk the other day." Grinning, she leaned over to drop a soft, teasing kiss on his lips, "She's a nice girl, once you get past the scary. Now, come on!"

Grinning like an idiot from the feeling of her lips on his, Derek's eyes stayed closed as he whined in a childish voice, "But I don't wanna go, stay here with me!" He then proceeded to grope blindly in the spot he knew she was laying.

Jessica slapped his hand away with a smirk, rolling off the bed in one deft manoeuvre, "Come on! My bag is already packed."

"Bag?" Derek rolled onto his back, cracking open his eyes and looking up at the ceiling, bringing his hands up to try and rub some life into his body, starting with his cheeks and eyes. "What bag?"

Jessica blushed noticeably, clearly embarrassed, "Um, yeah. Sarah thinks I'm stuck up or something, you saw the way she was eyeing my dress at dinner. I just thought maybe we could sleep in your room tonight."

Suddenly wide awake, Derek sat up in bed, groaning a little from a couple of lucky shots John managed to get in on his ribs, not to mention from the hundred pound girl bouncing around on him most of the night. Despite his best efforts not to, he shot her with a 'really?' look, "You want to sleep over there? Why?"

"We always stay over here." She pointed out, shuffling her feet, embarrassment giving way to a touch of hurt, "Are you like...embarrassed of me?"

"What makes you say that?" Derek asked with a quick shake of his head, really not wanting nor needing this right after waking up, he'd much rather it if she were curled up beside him, not coming up with crazy suggestions. "If anything I'm embarrassed of them, babe."

"You never let me in, Derek." She sighed sadly, pout returning, "We talked about this. I haven't even seen your room over there!"

Derek couldn't help the ungentlemanly scoff that escaped his lips, "There's not much to see, Amy won the big room, but I'll bet hers is really pretty."

Leaning forward slowly, propping one knee up on the bed, Jessica only stopped when her face was about an inch from his, trailing a delicate hand slowly over his chest, "I want to be part of your life. All of it, Derek."

"But why?" Derek chuckled exasperatedly, trying to ignore the feeling of her slightly cool fingers over his skin, "Is your life so messed up that you think mine might be a step up?"

"Because it's _your _life," She sighed, slapping his chest impatiently, almost as if she begrudged him for what she was about to say, "And for some totally messed up reason, I love you."

Flopping back on to the pillow and barely suppressing a groan, Derek took a moment to think about it. The glance he took at her adorable pout pretty much broke his resolve though, "Fine, we can stay over. Just...don't get upset if everything doesn't go perfectly."

With a smile that would've reduced even the hardest man to his knees, Jessica rolled out of bed, practically bubbling over with energy, "Awesome! Now come on, I bought you some nice clothes to wear!"

"Ugh," Derek flopped back down again with a groan, again sounding more like a child than a hardened combat veteran, "Nice? Like, polo shirt and a sweater nice?"

* * *

Despite the fact she'd checked herself only two minutes ago in the mirror above her visor, Jessica found time for another cursory inspection in the reflection of the window beside the door of the Connor's house, you know, just in case her lipstick and eyeliner had managed to smudge in the time it took to walk from the truck to the house and ring the doorbell.

Satisfied nothing was out of place, she found herself sucking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling before glancing back over her shoulder, "Just go ahead and carry that around back, babe! I'll tell Sarah what's what."

Not through lack of trying, Derek failed to stifle the scoff, he did manage however, to keep his mumbled reply to himself, "Yeah, you do that, babe…good luck."

Turning back to the door, Jessica cradled her gift to Sarah in her hands while rocking back and forth on her heels impatiently, barely managing to suppress the urge to whistle.

To her eternal surprise and delight, Amy answered the door with a flourish. Before she'd even had a chance to open her mouth, the little girl had flung herself at Jessica, squealing like a banshee, "Aunt Jessica!"

"How's my girl?" Careful to avoid crushing Sarah's gift, Jessica leaned down and dropped a kiss on top of Amy's head, squeezing her tightly, "I missed you!"

"I missed you too!" Pulling back a little, Amy's eyes lit up at the bag Jessica was carrying. Paying no thought to any consequences, she reached out and tugged at the top of the bag, "Is that for me?"

"Oh, no sweetie!" Smiling sweetly, she pulled the brown paper bag out of the little girl's reach, "This is for your mom. But I did bring you something, it's in the bags your Uncie Derek is carrying around back."

Tearing away towards Derek like he held the key to every candy store in the world, Amy left Jessica alone again. Swivelling her head around, she was startled to say the least upon finding Sarah standing in the doorway, arms folded across her chest, eyeing the girl with a wary eye, "Jessica," She gave the girl a curt nod, nothing more.

"Good afternoon Sarah," Jessica flashed a perfect smile, reached into the bag in her hands and pulled out a bottle of Patron, "Um…Derek said you liked tequila, so I figured I'd treat."

Sarah stared openly, first at the bottle, then at Jessica's nervous face…and then back to the bottle. Taken aback by her generosity, she gingerly reached out and took it, scanning the label quickly, confirming for herself that it was in fact a bottle of liquor worth about one hundred dollars…and this was the good stuff. "Thank you. Um…come in."

"Derek's running the cooler around back," Stepping into the house, Jessica glanced around, a little disappointed she didn't see Cameron or John anywhere, "He was gone all last week, and I promised the girls I'd stop by, so we figured we'd have a little barbecue."

"Um, we're not really the barbecue type," Sarah replied after a few moments of frantically racking her brains for a reason not to say yes…and then a thought struck her as odd, "Wait, Cameron wanted you to swing by?"

Jessica couldn't prevent her left eyebrow creeping up her forehead, "Why is everyone so surprised by that? We had a good time!"

"You did huh? Well…that's good!" Sarah replied, slipping into 'mom' mode for the sake of their cover, "Uh, we don't really have anything in to cook. Like I said, not really a barbecue family."

"Oh, that's not a problem." Practically beaming with her own forethought, not to mention the effort she'd put in before Derek had woken up, Jessica bounced on her feet excitedly, "Derek and I brought over a cooler with the works. Steak, burgers, chicken, and beer!"

Smiling genuinely for the first time, Sarah tucked the bottle under her arm and quickly covered her smile. She wasn't sure why she didn't like this girl on her doorstep. Even through Sarah's admittedly biased eyes, she was sweet, nice, kind, and seemed to adore her 'family'. Although that was probably more to do with her being in love with Derek more than anything.

Could that have been what was bothering her, that Derek was smitten with her, that he wouldn't be focusing on herself and John? Dismissing that thought as ludicrous, Sarah stepped aside, allowing the young woman to enter her home, "And tequila. Alright, then I guess we're having a barbecue. I'll just go get…the kids."

"Awesome!" Jessica clapped her hands together in barely restrained glee, "I'll head out back to make sure Amy doesn't kill your brother in law!"

With a shake of her head, Sarah watched her go, silently wishing she'd stop screeching, she was even more annoying than Amy could be. Deciding upon the lesser of two evils, she headed upstairs, lost in her own world until she reached John's door…and then remembered who would be inside.

Composing herself, she knocked gently on the door, hoping she wouldn't have to listen to any squeaks or moans…especially after what she heard the night before. "John, Cameron?"

John groaned sleepily in to his pillow…or Cameron's chest, he really was too tired, sore and beaten to tell the difference at that point, "Whhhhazzzzzzaattt?"

"Your mother," Cameron answered, her voice gentle as she trailed a few fingers through his short cropped hair, "I believe Jessica is here."

John quirked a brow at just how happy Cameron sounded about that, "I thought you didn't like her?"

Cameron did her best to shrug, buffeting a sleepy John just a little, "I misread her."

"Ugh…" With a sigh, John pulled the blankets over himself and his girlfriend, making sure to cover up her bare chest before rolling slightly to the side. "Come on in."

"John, Jessica's here and…" Sarah paused mid sentence, door partially open. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her eyes from bulging at the sight of her quite obviously naked son curled up with his equally naked cyborg girlfriend. Fighting down the impulsive urge to heave her guts up on the bedroom floor, she bit down her reaction at seeing them so…intimate, for the first time, "Uh, I mean uh, yeah, she wants a barbecue."

John let out a long yawn, scratching at the stubble on his cheek while tilting his head up to get a better look at Cameron, "You up for a little barbecue?"

Looking down lovingly at her John, mostly ignoring the gawking Sarah, Cameron smiled just a little, just enough to make John grin wide, "Just to confirm, is this the practice of cooking meat on an open grill, voiding established food preparation standards of hygiene and safety?"

"It's the practice of man using fire to make beefy goodness," John answered through a grin, fighting off a chuckle at her description…so Cameron. Craning his neck, and ignoring the painful crack it caused, he dropped a quick kiss on her lips, "I thought you liked steak?"

Smiling, Cameron gently traced the outline of his jaw with one of her metal fingers, "I do. I believe it's customary for the men to do the cooking?"

"Sure is, why?" Grinning like an idiot as memories of the night before rushed through his mind, John had pretty much forgotten his mother was standing in the room as he slid a hand to lay flat on Cameron's smooth belly under the sheets.

Sarah meanwhile stood and tried not to squirm, biting her tongue so hard it would probably result in a loss of feeling if she kept going.

Seemingly oblivious, Cameron smiled down at her man, "If you cook it, then I'll eat it."

"Sounds good, Princess." Dropping one last kiss on her lips, John came to his senses as he started to disentangle himself from her, "Uh, give us five to get dressed?"

Snapping back to the present, Sarah put her eyes back in her head and released her grip on her tongue, "Uh, yeah, sure."

Silently leaving the room and closing the door behind her, she honestly tried her best to ignore the very obvious sounds of a swat coming in to contact with what was probably a bare backside. Shuddering, she quickly made her way downstairs a little paler than she was earlier…and just what was with the two hand sized holes in the headboard?

* * *

**Again, apologies for the length, but it's hopefully enough to keep you happy until I can post the rest.**

**As always, thanks to Dekardkain who has been an absolute trooper lately!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi guys,**

**As promised here's the second part of the barbecue and more fluff you can shake a stick at!**

* * *

Derek narrowed his eyes menacingly at the charcoal taunting him with it's very existence, "I'm telling you, it says on the bag that it's supposed to light _without_ extra fluid!"

"And I'm telling you, it needs the fluid. Hell, you'd go up in flames better if you were coated in lighter fluid," John countered, leaning over the grill in a perfect clone of Derek's stance beside him.

Cracking open a fresh beer, Derek shook his head adamantly, "If you put too much fluid on it, when it finally does go up it'll take your fucking eyebrows off!"

"Good thing you're lighting it then isn't it?" John argued with a smirk as he leaned over and snagged a beer for himself, a little miffed that he wasn't offered one in the first place.

Derek shook his head, quickly looking around, "What are you doing? Your mom sees you with that she's gonna beat your ass…and mine too for that matter."

"Please! The world ends in a couple of years. A beer at a barbecue isn't going to hurt anyone." John smiled as Amy came bouncing over to the pair, coming to rest beside him, ignoring whatever retort Derek was about to come back with. The little machine seemed in an even better mood than normal, obviously thrilled with the prospect of a family day as much as Jessica was.

"Watch yourself Short Round, John is about to kick off J-Day early on the grill." Despite his earlier telling off, Derek couldn't help himself, a few beers and John's cheery attitude rubbing off on him despite his best efforts. He did not want to think about what happened the night before to put him in such a good mood.

Amy leaned forward, peeking into the barbecue in much the same way as the boys had been doing, popping her head out after a moment, "Needs more fluid."

"For the last time, it _does not_ need more fluid!" Sighing in exasperation, Derek pointed towards the deck, "Shouldn't you be bothering Jessica, or mommy?"

"Shut up Derek!" Amy smiled despite her words to the contrary, "Fine, if it doesn't need fluid, how come it's not lighting, huh?"

"Because it's windy and the damn newspaper won't stay lit long enough!" Shoving his chest out defiantly, Derek knew he was right, although he had no idea why he was arguing with the mini metal. He knew it was idiotic, but she had this way of getting under his skin with every carefully chosen word and action, it was…uncanny, how much she could affect him. Still, he wasn't about to be beaten again, "Trust me, I was grilling before either of you were born."

"Well I was built, so that doesn't apply," Amy replied with a grin, sticking her pink tongue out between her lips in defiance, glancing at John who nodded in agreement, his grin matching hers.

"It could do with a little help, Derek," John added, clearly loving putting his uncle on the spot.

"Fine!" Derek threw his hands up in surrender, not used to finding himself being double teamed. He swivelled on a heel and grabbed the bottle of lighter fluid, spraying a healthy amount over the coals and stepping back, "Have fun John-boy. This one's allll yours!"

* * *

Glancing up, Jessica couldn't stifle a giggle at the sight of John trying to swat out the imaginary flames on his eyebrows while Derek smirked and Amy pointed and laughed, neither overly keen to let him know his eyebrows were still intact.

She did have a nice buzz going…until she glanced over at Sarah, the pair of them nursing a beer in the sun, "So, um…you look nice today."

Sarah cocked her head to the side, peering at the girl above her sunglasses. She knew fine well she'd just rolled out of bed and threw on yesterday's wrinkled clothes, "You too. I notice you skipped the ten thousand dollar dress today."

Looking down self consciously at her top, Jessica fought off a frown, "Well I thought I'd already had a chance to make a first impression, blew it. So may as well be comfortable, right?"

Sarah merely sighed, ditching her beer by the lounger in favour of something a little stronger, uncapping her gift of expensive liquor and smacking a few ice cubes from the cooler into her glass. Pouring the crystal clear liquid slowly over the ice, she glanced up at the model sitting across from her, "Looks real comfortable. You've got about what, half a millimetre of space between your skin and your jeans?"

"Less I think!" Jessica smiled, and yet still pinched the fabric of her jeans experimentally, "So, Amy and Cameron had a fun day at the park last week."

"Amy always has fun," Sarah responded automatically, making her doubt her own sanity momentarily. In a feat which would make most housewives vomit just watching it, she drained her glass in three long gulps, immediately refilling it to the brim, "Though I'm surprised you got Cameron to open up."

With her face still scrunched up in obvious distaste, Jessica had to shake her head a little before her mouth would start working, "Are you kidding me? I couldn't get her to shut up once she got going, yak, yak, yak!"

Leaning back in her lounger, Sarah took a moment to enjoy the tingling sensation now emanating from her stomach, "What did you two talk about?"

"Her boyfriend mostly," Jessica mimicked Sarah by slouching in her chair, smoothing down the front of her top, "She's a real sweetheart, a real sensitive girl."

"Oh yeah," Sarah snorted, taking another long gulp of her drink, "A regular Oprah watcher. Hold on…hey! John! That's enough fluid! It's already lit!"

Jessica smiled, meeting Derek eyes for a moment and breathing a small sigh of relief. For some reason just knowing he was there made her feel immensely better, "I think she really loves him."

"She…talks to you about that?" Sarah couldn't help but look and sound a little nervous, wondering just how much the sometimes quirky cyborg had revealed to this girl. Just because Derek was seeing her, didn't make her family…or trusted for that matter.

"She just seemed a little lost. I dunno if it's because I'm closer to her own age or," Jessica hesitated, debating how much she should say without violating Cameron's privacy, especially around her mother, "She told me she doesn't have many friends."

"Nope, just John." Sarah responded quickly, causing Jessica's eyebrow to rise up slowly. It was almost as if she knew and wasn't concerned in the slightest.

"That's a little…sad, I guess," Just as she was about to continue, Amy skipped her way over, bundling into Jessica's armchair, sloshing her drink a little. As was pretty standard practice for the little machine, she wore her best pout and a small sway, hands clasped innocently behind her back.

"Aunt Jessica, will you come play with me?" She asked in her most sickly sweet voice.

"Awww, the boys not being fun anymore?" Jessica asked, falling right into Amy's sweet little girl guise, fighting off the urge to take her into a hug and squeeze tight.

"No, they're busy playing with their stupid fire," Breaking out into a heartwarming giggle, Amy leaned closer, resting her hands on Jessica's knees, "John burned his eyebrows!"

Grabbing her beer, Jessica leveraged herself up from her chair with a grin, firing off an apologetic shrug to Sarah, "Boys will be boys. What are we playing?"

"Oooohh, can you do cartwheels?" Amy squealed, giddy with excitement, "I'm really good at them, watch!"

Taking several long seconds to compose herself, Amy then proceeded to pull off the most pathetic excuse for a cartwheel Jessica had ever seen in her life, the little girl tumbling over, barely getting her feet off the ground. But the way she came up with a beaming smile made Jessica's heart skip a beat, a huge smile flashing across her face, "That's great sweetie! Your Aunt Jessica would join you, but I have this problem with my top flying up. Wouldn't want to flash your brother now would we?"

Amy giggled, still bouncing from her cartwheel, "Yeah, John already has a girlfriend…and I don't think mommy would like that."

Pausing for a moment, a look of deep thought crossed her face…that was until an actual, genuine idea came in to her mind, a tiny frown creeping across her otherwise perfect happy little girl facade. "Do you know patty cake?"

"Um, I think so," Jessica replied with a smile, crossing her legs and sinking down to the grass, "I haven't done it since I was a kid though."

"I'll teach you!" Amy offered, sinking down opposite her. After all, her first ever friend, Jenny, had taught her. It seemed only right to pass it on to another friend.

* * *

Blinking quickly to stop his eyes watering from the smoke of the grill, Derek took a swig of his beer, drifting off into his own little world. He had to admit, he was sceptical about this barbecue idea, but it was paying off. He had a nice buzz going, Jessica had sprung for some pretty good quality meat, John's perky mood had rubbed off on him, and the sun was shining. Yep, pretty good day.

Glancing back over his shoulder, he caught sight of Jessica sitting down in the middle of the lawn cross legged with Amy, giggling with childlike glee as she tucked into a huge slice of melon, covering her cheeks with juice in the process. Just when his life had taken such a domestic turn he wasn't sure, but he knew for one thing that the girl sitting on the grass was the best thing to ever happen to him.

She was sweet, kind, funny, beautiful…and turned on by every little thing that made him, well, him. All he had to do was graze her cheek with his stubble and she'd pounce on him like a crazed rabbit. He couldn't believe his luck when he'd first met her, the best he was hoping for was maybe a quick lay, but what he'd ended up with was something else entirely. At first he thought she was just slumming it, and he wasn't about to stop her. But when she kept wanting to see him, kept taking an interest in his 'family', he realised this poor girl really was smitten with him, slumming it or not.

While he cared for her deeply, probably his protective instinct kicking in, he couldn't help but worry about her, about her welfare. Derek lived a dangerous life, being a resistance fighter from the future tends to have that effect on one's life. If she ever found herself in the firing line, Derek would never forgive himself, or the asshole who put her there.

He'd seriously considered breaking up with her for that reason alone, her own protection. But then he'd falter whenever she snuggled up to him at night, rested her head on his chest and snored softly. She loved him, and as much as it pained him to admit it, he loved her too.

So there he was, attending a barbecue with the most dysfunctional family in the world, all because the girl of his dreams had stuck out her bottom lip. Oh if only Skynet could see him now, it would probably be laughing so hard it would be metaphorically doubled over.

Shaking his head with a grin, he took another swig of his beer, reaching out to flip a couple of burgers, concentrating on enjoying the day without pain in the ass nephews or cybernetic killing machines to bother him.

He was so relaxed that he didn't notice Cameron's approach until she was right behind him. She even had the chance to tilt her head curiously at his lack of response, sloppy Derek. "Derek!"

Jumping a few inches at the sound, drops of beer sloshed out of his cup and onto the grill with a sizzle of protest. Trying to compose himself by flicking the rest of the liquid off his knuckles, he turned around to find Cameron standing behind him looking distinctly more serene than him, "John needs to put a fucking bell on you!"

Tilting her head to the opposite side, Cameron looked up at him curiously, eyeing the blush creeping up his neck. She was just about to get right to the heart of her reason for coming over, when a lighthearted giggle drew her attention from behind. Glancing back over her shoulder, she made sure to look at Jessica pointedly, then back to Derek, "Jessica is nice."

"Yeah," Despite his irritation, his earlier thoughts immediately sprung to life, a genuine smile creeping slowly across his face, "She's great isn't she?"

"It would be a shame if our lives…caught up with her." The way she'd said it immediately made Derek think that she could read his thoughts.

_Nah…I hope._

Shaking his head, he watched as the cyborg calmly picked up a bun off a nearby plate, staring at him the entire time. Gripping the tongs in his hand so hard his knuckles turned white, Derek turned to face her properly, glaring from behind his sunglasses, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Cameron answered calmly, extending her hand out towards him with the bun opened, "Burger please."

Scooping up a hamburger off the grill, Derek didn't fail to notice the way she looked over at his girlfriend pointedly. He shook his head and slapped the burger down onto her bun with more force than necessary, "Trying to blend in, or just to impress your boyfriend?"

"Trying to impress yours," Cameron casually replied, picking up a bottle of ketchup from the nearby table, "How was your trip away with John?"

Suddenly realising why the cyborg seemed to be copping an attitude with him, Derek grimaced noticeably. He was still hoping beyond hope that she hadn't had the chance to see John with his shirt off yet, which in his defence was a safe bet based on the way they were fighting before they left. "Um…fine. Just camping, hiking, little training."

"Hand to hand training?" Cameron asked, not tearing her stare away from him as she poured a generous helping of ketchup over her burger.

"A little," Derek shrugged, trying to come off as nonchalant, putting on his best innocent 'I swear I didn't beat your charge to a pulp', face. "Why?"

"How is his training progressing?" Cameron asked, seemingly ignoring the guilty as hell look on his face, asking as if she was politely enquiring as to the time.

"He has a long way to go," Derek answered truthfully and thoughtfully, "But I think he understands that now."

"So he is improving, that's good…" Cameron took a moment to glance over her shoulder at John who was in quiet conversation with his mother. Then, like a switch had flipped, she slowly swivelled her head back and levelled a glare that would reduce Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger to shivering idiots, "Apparently he isn't improving enough. I don't believe he'd be capable of defeating you."

"Well no, of course not." Derek seemed confused and more than a little intimidated at the cyborgs sudden shift, "I've got a decade of experience on him and probably forty pounds.."

"Did you use all those forty pounds when you landed repeated blows to his midsection…or his spine perhaps?" Cameron's glare looked downright dangerous as she took a half step closer.

Despite her obvious anger, Derek merely let out a weary sigh, he knew this was coming after all, "Cameron…you don't have all the facts. John started that fight."

"And you finished it," Cameron finished for him, certain that was the case.

"A beating is better than him getting himself killed isn't it?" Derek set his tongs down and folded his arms across his chest defiantly, knowing what he was saying was true, "He needed a lesson in humility, and no one else was gonna give it to him."

Stepping closer, her eyes never leaving his, Cameron set her burger down, "If you'd landed any more blows, he could have suffered internal injuries. Were you aware of that when you were 'teaching him a lesson'?"

Derek's confident facade faltered when his face twisted into a frown. At the end of the day, he was there to protect John Connor, not beat the crap out of him, no matter how much he deserved it, "I tried to be careful. How…how bad is it?"

"Mostly superficial, he'll be fine with rest." Cameron answered mechanically, keeping her glare set squarely on him.

"Good." Turning back to the grill and picking up his tongs, Derek tried his best to avoid the scary robot face being levelled in his direction, "Um…burger any good?"

"Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Cameron sounded very, very genuine, letting Derek know just how much she meant what she'd just said.

"You're welcome…you know, he said the same thing."

"Good," Dropping her glare, Cameron picked her burger back up. As she was turning away, she stopped and looked back at him, making sure to keep her voice low, "If you ever touch my John again, Jessica will have more than bruises to take care of when she sees you."

With that, the cyborg turned away and headed back over towards John, casually taking a bite of her burger as she took a seat by him, bringing a smile to the young man's face. Derek got the distinct impression he'd just dodged a very real bullet…now all he had to do was escape the wrath of Sarah if she ever found out.

* * *

"I wish I had a little sister…babies are soooo cute!"

"Well sweetie, it could still happen." Smiling, Jessica reached out and wiped a gloop of ketchup off Amy's chin with a tissue, "Your mom is still pretty young."

"Mommy says there won't be any more," Amy plastered on an adorable pout before taking another bite of her hotdog.

After their playtime, from which Jessica was suffering a little, physical activity wasn't her thing, the pair had sat down cross legged on a blanket in the middle of the lawn to eat lunch. Well, Jessica ate, Amy chewed the food and stored it for later removal, but either way, it kept up the cover and didn't raise suspicions when she'd pouted about not being allowed ice cream first.

"Oh, well I'm sorry then," Jessica replied kindly, reaching out to give the little girl's back a rub, "You have your big sister though. I didn't even have that."

"You didn't?" Amy asked with a sympathetic frown, "I love my Cammy!"

"Nope, daddy decided to call it quits after I was born. I always wanted siblings though, probably why I like spending time with you and Cameron so much."

"That's sad…" Amy hesitated a moment before taking a small nibble of her hotdog, before innocently asking a question with her mouth full, "How many babies do you want to have?"

"I uh…" If she'd been chewing on something, Jessica would surely have choked. As it was, her cheeks did their very best tomato expression, a blush colouring her cheeks immediately, "I don't really know. It depends a lot on your uncle. Has he ever said anything about wanting kids of his own?"

"No, but mommy says he's great with kids," Amy answered with a devious little smirk, "She wishes he was around sooner."

"He wasn't around when you were little?" Jessica asked with a small tilt of her head, Cameron's habits rubbing off on her.

"I never had a daddy," Amy replied sadly, looking down at her lap, but still sneaking a glance up through her lashes.

Despite her best efforts, Jessica couldn't avoid choking up a little at seeing her friend so sad, rubbing in small circles on her back…paying no attention to how cold the fabric felt. "I'm sorry sweetie. Does John step up at all? He seems to take good care of Cameron." She nodded in the direction of said siblings, John laughing while leaning in to drop a kiss on Cameron's cheek while handing her a burger. Needless to say, Jessica quirked a brow at seeing that one.

"It's no fair!" Amy whined, snapping Jessica out of her daze, "John and Cammy are waaaay older, they never play with me."

"What about your mom?"

"She plays sometimes. That's why I want a little baby to play with!" Amy grinned up at her aunt, beaming with delight.

"I think uncle Derek would be a good dad, but he doesn't seem to agree, honey." Jessica shook her head sadly, agreeing with Amy's point of view.

"Why not? Doesn't he want babies with you?"

Jessica hesitated a little, searching for the right words to explain this to a small child, "I don't think it's me…he just kind of shuts down when the subject comes up. Like he's scared."

"Why is he scared?" Amy asked with a scrunched brow, "Does it hurt to have babies?"

"Well yeah, a little…for the woman at least." With a sad sounding sigh, Jessica glanced over at Derek for a long moment as he tended the grill, "I just don't get him sometimes."

Ignoring the far off look in her eyes, Amy glanced back over her shoulder at Derek too, a little grin creeping onto her face, "You know, I think he's silly. John says making babies is fun, so why doesn't he want to do it with you?"

Coughing hard into he hand, almost choking on her burger, Jessica looked down at the perfectly innocent curiosity present on Amy's face, "He says that…does he?"

"Yeah, but he won't tell me why. He says mommy will tell me soon," She looked up with a pout, "Will you tell me where babies come from?"

"Oh god…um, I think you'd better ask your mom about that honey, or your sister."

"Cammy won't tell me either." Amy looked up, her expression full of hopefulness, "Pleeeeeease Aunt Jessica, tell me!"

Taking a long swig of her beer, Jessica couldn't help but wonder if a barbecue was the right idea in the first place, "I…it's not something I should be telling you sweetie. Your mom might not like it."

"Well…we could keep it a secret." Amy replied after a moment's thought, "Pleeeease?" She flashed Jessica the ultimate card…her puppy dog eyes.

"Um…how much do you know already?" Jessica ventured, she had no intentions of having the birds and the bees talk with somebody else's daughter, especially one who's mother wasn't exactly enamoured with her.

"I know that when a man and a woman love each other very much…"

"That's pretty much all there is to it kiddo. You love each other, decide to have a baby, then the mommy grows it in her belly until it's born." Smiling happily, she sincerely hoped that would be enough to satisfy the little girl's curiosity…but she had a feeling it wouldn't be. That was confirmed when Amy plastered on an adorable pout.

"But, how does the baby get in your belly?"

"Um…well you see…the man kinda puts it there."

_Oh shit, she's not letting this drop…you're in it deep now, Jess._

Ignoring Jessica's blush, Amy continued her prodding, "How? I wouldn't like anybody putting anything in my belly."

Finishing her beer in a few long gulps, Jessica blushed furiously, feeling her shirt starting to cling to her back in the hot sun, "The um, way that it…well it feels good to adults. Only adults!"

"How come?" Amy asked with a curious tilt of her head, clearly not satisfied with the answer, "And how can you get babies from hugging and kissing, without getting cooties?"

"This really isn't…" Jessica stuttered, clutching her beer tight, "I can't…CAMERON!"

"What's wrong?" Amy asked, voice starting to rise in irritation, "Why won't you tell me?"

Slowly making her way over after handing her drink off to John, Cameron crouched down beside the blanket, taking note of Jessica's blush and Amy's annoyed looking face, "Yes?"

"Your sister is asking about babies and where they come from!" Jessica answered so fast Amy didn't even have a chance to say anything, startling Cameron slightly.

Sitting down cross legged between the pair, Cameron tried to fight off a smirk in Amy's direction, "Have you answered her?"

"I…of course not! I just told her the basics," Pausing, she realised she was still being forced to talk sex with a Baum woman. She thought she'd gotten her fill of that the week before, "Man and woman love each other, decide to have a baby, grows in a woman's belly until it's born."

Cameron nodded, her face blank, seemingly satisfied with the answer as she looked over to Amy, "You require more information?"

"She won't tell me how the baby gets in her belly," Amy answered with a pout as she propped her chin up on her hands and slumped forward, "Or why John says it feels so good to make one."

Cameron couldn't fight off a smile at seeing Jessica squirm. It was odd, she liked the girl, surely it was an unhealthy habit to take pleasure from seeing one's discomfort…she'd ask John about it later, he'd explain. "Amy, remember when mom said you need to stop asking so many questions?"

Amy looked up at Cameron like she'd just been betrayed, "But you ask Aunt Jessica stuff all the time!"

"That's because I'm a grown up. We're allowed to talk about things like that."

"I'm very grown up," Amy countered with a very immature and unladylike huff, slouching even further forward in defeat.

"Not yet you're not. When you're old enough, mom will tell you everything." Cameron answered, indulging in the cover story. She was an infiltrator after all, and it'd been a while since she'd flexed her muscles in that regard, she missed the practice of blending in.

Amy let out a deep breath of resignation, all fight gone for the moment, "She wouldn't even tell me why I wasn't allowed to eat those little mints in her bathroom."

Jessica choked on her beer, having finally been let off the hook enough to chance a drink, which she was admittedly regretting now, "Honey, those weren't mints."

"Then what were they?" Amy whined, trying to keep the knowing smirk off her lips.

"They were…" Jessica shook her head, looking to Cameron for help on how to explain birth control pills to an eight year old.

"Grown up pills," Cameron supplied helpfully, smiling when Jessica nodded with a relieved smile.

"For what? Is mommy sick?" Amy asked, sounding panicked.

"What makes you say that, honey?" Jessica asked, reaching out to lay a hand on the girl's upper arm.

"Why would you take pills if you're not sick? Mommy takes pills all the time."

"They uh, make me feel better. They're vitamins, yeah, vitamins!" Jessica assured with a smile, proud of her quick thinking.

"Oooohhh," Amy replied with a relieved smile, deciding to let her friend off the hook a little. "Thank you Aunt Jessica. So, when am I going to have a little baby to play with?"

Turning to Cameron, her eyes full of innocent curiosity, Amy smiled widely, "She says she wants a baby! We could get another little sister!"

"I believe he or she would be your cousin, not your brother or sister, Amy." Cameron answered with a knowing smile, "That is, if Jessica and Derek were to enter into a marriage."

Before Jessica even had a chance to stumble out a response, Amy opened her mouth again, giving her the distinct impression she was being double teamed. "Soooo? It's a baby! When can I meet her?"

Again, before Jessica could answer, Cameron had already turned to her with a smile, "About nine months."

"Nine months?" Amy whined, "That's a long time! Can you make the baby hurry up? Poke your belly or something?"

Finally being given a respite to speak, Jessica looked from one girl to the other before finally settling on Amy, "Uh, Cameron?" She absently extended her empty beer towards the older girl, "Could you get me another drink please? A large one?"

"Of course, Jessica," Cameron answered, taking the empty with a smile and standing, leaving her to her fate with Amy. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Amy leaning forward and gingerly prodding Jessica's stomach, "Is it already in there?"

* * *

Shaking her head, Jessica straightened down the front of her blouse after giving the toilet a flush. Checking herself in the mirror, she looked decidedly worse than she had when she'd first arrived at the Connor's house. Several beers, playtime with an eight year old, a stare down by Sarah and a talk about where babies come from will do that, even to the fashion models among us.

Taking a break, she'd scampered off to the bathroom for some respite, leaving Amy in the loving care of her big brother. She liked Amy, she really did, but she was a handful, an overly energetic and inquisitive handful.

Sighing, she reached down and twisted the tap on and ran her hands under the stream. The day had started out so well, in fact it was still nice, just a little odd. Sarah wasn't warming up to her any, although she did seem to appreciate the gift of expensive liquor, it was a start. Derek was clearly relaxing, in his element over the grill with a beer in hand. John seemed less surly than he had been of late, exactly why she wasn't sure, all she did know was that it seemed to have rubbed off on Cameron too.

Those two really were inseparable.

Thinking of the siblings gave her pause and she flicked her hands off into the sink and made her way over to the nearby towel rack. They were so close, and yet, there seemed to be something a little…off, a little unhealthy about their relationship. It looked like one's emotional wellbeing was linked with the others more than should've been considered normal for brother and sister.

Derek had warned her Cameron was a little off, not exactly 'normal', but as far as Jessica could tell she was just a sweet, innocent, slightly unsure girl. John on the other hand, she couldn't get a read on. She was usually so good at judging character, but John was still something of a mystery. Whether it was just that she hadn't had as much contact with him as the others, or something else entirely, but she just wasn't sure what to make of him.

Aside from their initial meeting where he spent the majority of the time trying not to drool, while simultaneously avoiding Cameron's gaze, he seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. For one so young, it didn't quite sit right. Before his trip with Derek, he looked like he was on the verge of some kind of breakdown, based on the way he abruptly stood and left the dinner table.

Since the trip however, he seemed to be a new man. He was outgoing, friendly, wasn't staring, and he seemed to be on very good terms with his sister. He hadn't spent very long away from her, kept hugging her affectionately. It was sweet the way they seemed to bounce off one another, feeding off each other's good moods.

Smiling, Jessica returned to the mirror, her eyes sinking down to her belly for reasons unknown. Thinking of Amy probably caused it, the innocent prodding about a baby was one of the most embarrassing things she'd ever had to endure, and she regularly took most of her clothes off in front of a camera too. It wasn't that she didn't eventually want a family, but she couldn't get the little girls words out of her head.

She loved Derek, more than any other boyfriend she'd ever had, there was just something about him she couldn't put her finger on. But she was only twenty four, she reminded herself with a shake of her head in the mirror. She'd only been dating Derek a month, and here she was contemplating babies, it was crazy, ludicrous…but she was sure it would be gorgeous, and Derek would make an awesome dad.

Realising what she was saying, she reached up and gently slapped her cheek a couple of times and stared at herself in the mirror, "Stop it, Jess. You're being stupid!"

She had friends who'd gotten themselves pregnant before they were even old enough to legally drink, and she swore to herself she'd wait until she was ready. Besides, she didn't even really know what Derek did for a living. She knew the disability pay and retirement thing was a lie, but she'd let it slide at the time. She wasn't stupid, but she knew something was up, she just couldn't figure it out, something was still missing.

Sighing, she plastered on a smile, determined to enjoy the rest of the day. Pushing herself up from leaning on the sink, she turned to head towards the door, accidentally knocking the soap dish off the corner of the sink. Trying and failing to catch it midair, she cursed as it dropped to the ground.

Crouching down, she picked up the dish and the soap. She was just about to stand up, when something caught her eye against the white porcelain of the underside of the sink. Turning her head to get a better look, the soap went clattering to the ground again as she let out a yelp of surprise and scrambled backwards, landing on her backside on the other side of the room.

There, taped to the underside of the sink, was a freaking gun! What the hell was that doing there?

Crawling closer, she ducked her head to get a better look. She didn't know much about guns, but even she could tell that the handle thingy wasn't empty. That meant it was loaded, right? The Baum family kept a loaded handgun taped to the underside of the sink when they had an eight year old girl in the house. What the fuck was going on here?

Amy could just walk in here, touch that thing and have her head blown off. How could somebody as clearly intelligent as Sarah and Derek keep a handgun within reach of a small child, especially one as inquisitive as Amy. Jessica had never really had an aversion to weapons, respected people's right to have weapons in their home, but there was a line between rights and sheer stupidity.

Shaking her head, she slumped down, her ass hitting the floor with a thud. What was she going to do about this? Should she say something, should she move the gun to somewhere out of reach?

_Don't be an idiot, Jess. You'd probably end up with a hole in your leg._

Forcing herself to stand up on shaky legs, she took a deep breath, trying to calm down from her mini freakout. She looked around the room, idly hearing Amy giggling from the open window to the garden. Then she looked down at the bathtub.

No rubber ducks, no other bath toys, no kids shampoo. Examining the sink, she noticed a distinct lack of a small toothbrush, in fact only two toothbrushes were in the room.

There were no kids things in this room.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she realised, or rather, came to the conclusion that Amy mustn't have been allowed in this bathroom. That would explain the lack of kids stuff, and the weapon, but still, it was a risk to keep it loaded and taped to the sink of all places.

But Amy was a smart kid. If she was told not to go somewhere, she wouldn't go there, or at least, she hoped she wouldn't.

* * *

Jessica leaned back in her lawn chair trying to recover from her encounter with a handgun, a small pile of beer cans growing next to her chair. Jessica rarely drank anything but cocktails, so she wasn't exactly sure how much she can drink without getting wasted, but no matter how much she chugged, she still felt thirsty.

Cameron slowly sat down on the lawn chair beside her, eyeing the cans with a smile. "You look good."

Jessica opened her mouth to speak, however she was shocked and appalled when a huge belch boiled up, slapping her fingers over her mouth, "Oh God! I'm sorry."

Smiles and shaking her head, Cameron was unsure just why exactly Jessica was growing on her all the time, "It's okay...how many beers have you had?"

"I uh..." She leaned over the arm of her chair to count, "Five, six, sev... a lot."

"You seem to be having a nice day," Cameron observed, trying to ignore the beer breath emanating from her friend.

"Oh yeah…" Jessica tried not to grimace at how fast her nice day went downhill, "Perfect. You seem happy too. Don't think I've ever seen you smile this much."

"I am happy," Cameron confirmed with a nod, shooting a hand out to catch a clearly unsteady Jessica, "I made up with my boyfriend last night."

"Ooooohh," Jessica grinned, leaner closer, wobbling a little, the beer removing her modesty somewhat in front of the younger girl, "Follow my advice then and blow his uh…mind?"

"Actually, he blew my mind," Cameron replied, grinning like a big kid while thinking about her reconciliation.

"He…wha?" Jessica's alcohol clouded brain seemed incapable of analysing what was being said, so she settled for raising a brow in confusion, "Whaddya mean?"

"He accomplished something he's never been capable of before," Cameron smiled, replaying several of the sensations from the night before, "It was very, very good."

"Accompli…oh!" Looking very happy for her friend, she exclaimed a little louder than she intended, "He got you off, huh?"

Across the other side of the garden, John's eyes flew wide as he was squeezing some ketchup onto his burger, sending it spurting across his hand. Not only that, but he had to contend with the curious looks he was getting from not only his mother, but his uncle too. Trying his best to look nonchalant, he refocused on his burger, however he couldn't really keep the triumphant smirk off his lips.

"Yes, I believe that is the correct term…he blew my mind," Cameron confirmed with a nod.

"Well look at you!" Pulling the younger girl towards her for a hug, Jessica's smile stretched from ear to ear, "All grown up and having…fun!"

Tentatively, Cameron wrapped her arms around the other woman's shoulders, clearly not used to being hugged by anybody other than John, "Your advice helped, thank you for that."

"Hey, him being able to ring your bell probably has more to do with him than me," She dropped a sloppy kiss on her hair before pulling back too fast and almost sending herself tumbling out of the chair, "So you two are better now?"

Reaching out with inhuman reactions, Cameron managed to snake her arm around behind Jessica's back to prevent her from falling flat on her face, "Yes. He managed to overcome his issues, although he had to suffer some damage to make sure that happened."

Not really noticing how fast the girl moved, Jessica's face scrunched up in obvious confusion, "Damage? What kind of damage?"

"He kicked the bathtub twice in frustration," Cameron grimaced, her eyes flicking quickly over to her John, "He's limping today."

"You saw him today?" She followed Cameron's glance, quirking a brow when all she saw was her brother, "Your mom let him stay the night? She doesn't strike me as the type to give you that much freedom."

The cyborg's eyes stayed focused dead ahead, glaring at Jessica's forehead as she mentally kicked herself for slipping up like that. Thinking quickly, she came up with a semi plausible excuse. "He stayed here until past midnight, then he left...technically it was this morning."

Jessica smirked a little, "Sneaking a midnight booty call under mom's nose, huh? Naughty girl!"

Deciding on the most appropriate behaviour, Cameron leaned over and bumped Jessica's shoulder with a smirk. Then immediately regretted it when she had to grab her top to stop the woman from teetering over, "Yes, I am a naughty girl. But last night...was surprising to say the least."

"This can't be the first time you ever got off, right?" Brushing some hair out of her face, she reached into the cooler beside her for a fresh beer, hand dragging through the ice aimlessly, "I know teenage boys tend to... finish too early. But haven't you ever, ya know... brought yourself home?"

Slowly shaking her head, Cameron tried to ignore the way three heads turned to face them when Jessica asked that question, "No, never. What do you mean by that?"

Despite her being more than a little drunk, Jessica managed a blush, "Um... gotten yourself off. Masturbated?"

Cameron shook her head, looking more than a little intrigued. "No, I've never done that. Is it common? Have you?"

"Um... of course, sweetie." The older woman eyed her like she'd just admitted to never trying chocolate, "weren't you ever... curious? About how it would feel to have sex?"

"I didn't have much interest in sex before I met...my boyfriend." Cameron looked genuinely captivated by Jessica exploring this topic with her, "Why would anybody wish to do that without a partner?"

Jessica chuckled to herself, taking a long swig of her beer, "Because most guys are pretty bad at taking care of it for you, and it feels really good?"

"Sound reasoning," Cameron nodded her agreement. "It can be as good as sex?"

"If you do it right," she smiled a bit sheepishly while eyeing Derek, a blush running up her neck, "I haven't had the need for a while though."

Cameron followed her gaze over to Derek who looked like a deer caught in the headlights at having the two women staring at him. "Jessica? You're drooling on your jeans."

"Hmmmm?"

"I said," Cameron reached out and manoeuvred Jessica's head so that she was looking down at her lap and the damp patch on her jeans, "You're drooling."

Quickly swiping the side of her mouth, the older woman shook herself from her rather detailed plans for Derek, provided she had her way tonight, and could find a container of whipped cream in the fridge. "I was, uh... I'm hungry. Steaks look great!"

Looking more than a little surprised when Jessica stood up on wobbly legs, Cameron followed suit, steadying the woman with a hand on her back. "Steaks are good. Thank you for your help. I believe it warrants further investigation."

"Yeah." Jessica smiled widely, hugging the girl again and lowering her voice, "Just don't get busted by your mom, and be very careful."

Cameron tilted her head curiously at the surprising warning, "Why, could something bad happen?"

"Oh God." Slapping herself in the forehead, Jessica couldn't believe she'd never brought this up with the naive teen before, "He is, ya know... protected, right?"

Quirking a brow, Cameron had two choices that Jessica could be talking about. Given the circumstances however, she chanced her arm on the more likely option. "Yes...he carries...condoms?"

"Thank God." Smiling, Jessica patted her on the back, "still, we should see about getting you on the pill, sweetie. If you're too embarrassed to have Sarah take you down, I don't mind."

"Okay," Cameron replied, glad she didn't tell her John carried a 9mm at all times, "Thank you Jessica."

"Any time, girly!" Ruffling her hair just a little, Jessica wobbled a bit before setting off in Derek's direction, "Babe! My burger ready yet?"

* * *

Plucking the stiff drink out of Jessica's hands and frowning when she glared in response, Derek lowered himself down onto the lounger beside her. Saving her from having to drink it, he downed it himself and frowned when he realised it was pretty much all tequila.

Dropping her glare, Jessica snuggled into her man, staring straight ahead towards the fire pit he'd just been working on getting lit, bathing herself in the warm glow. "You know, you can get arrested for lighting a fire here."

Looking down at the woman clinging to his waist, Derek arched an eyebrow in silent challenge, "Well I won't tell if you don't!"

Smirking, she squeezed herself tighter and returned her gaze to the flames as they flickered in the soft breeze. Squinting, she could just about make out Cameron and John on the lounger across from them curled up beside each other in quiet conversation. Even through her slight hint of double vision, she smiled at the sight of the happy again siblings.

Another sibling was currently puttering around near the trees, seemingly happy with her little mini exploration of the back garden. It was a good thing too, because her mother was currently laying half comatose on a lounger, an empty bottle of tequila perched precariously against her fingertips on the ground.

Shaking her head, she tugged Derek down beside her and waited until he was set before snuggling herself in close, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Ya know, you have a fantsa…fantastic family, Derek."

"Yeah, you and Cameron seemed to be having an…interesting, conversation." He smirked, idly running the back of his finger along her jawline.

"Aww, she's such a little sweetie," She reached out and slapped his arm playfully, although tiredly, "You should take better care of her. She's so in love with her boyfriend he could end up taking adant, adv…abusing her."

"Abusing her?" Derek had to fight off a laugh at that one, but then suddenly sobered, "Wait, wait…you think she's in love with him?"

Rolling her eyes, she looked up at him with a 'duh', look. "I know she's in love with him. Just from the way she talks about him, trust me, I know."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about him beating up on her. He's a decent enough guy," Derek paused and smirked, taking hold her her smaller fingers in his, "Little dumb, but he takes good care of her."

"That's good," Jessica replied with a nod and a yawn, resting her head on his arm, "Sarah still hates me."

"She doesn't hate you babe, that's just Sarah." Wrapping his free arm around her shoulders, Derek leaned down and dropped a kiss on her hair, "I have to admit, I had my doubts, but I think you're fitting in just fine."

Jessica looked up at him upon hearing such kind words. That certainly was rare for him. She was just about to lean up and kiss him when Amy made her way over, gently prodding her in the back. Trying not to huff in annoyance at having her moment ruined, she turned her neck to face the little girl. "Aunt Jessica?"

"Yeah honey?" She answered with a tired smile.

"I'm tired." Without waiting for a reply, Amy then proceeded to climb up onto the lounger, over Jessica and snuggled herself down in the gap between her and Derek, facing Jessica and cuddling herself in tight. Firing off a quick fake yawn, she curled up and closed her eyes, ignoring the look she was sure she was getting from Derek.

Jessica merely smiled, wrapping the arm not tossed over Derek around Amy's shoulders, "Derek, put your jacket on her babe, she's freezing."

Releasing a low growl and grinding his teeth, Derek did as instructed and leaned over to grab his jacket off the back of the lounger and handed it off to her. No mater how hard he tried, he couldn't keep the scowl off his face when he caught Amy peeking up at him with a shit eating grin that was quickly removed when Jessica gently laid his jacket over her and cuddled the little girl in tight.

His grimace was removed however when his girlfriend leaned up and dropped a kiss on his jawline, lowering her voice so she wouldn't be overheard, "I think my uterus just skipped a beat."

She may have been sitting on the fence earlier, but Amy was just too cute for words.

Derek merely gulped noticeably, trying to put a little more distance between himself and the potentially unstable metal he was technically now spooning, "Um, whaddya mean?"

Jessica looked up at him from under her lashes, knowing the devastating effect that usually had on him, even when drunk, "What? Would it weird you out if I…wanted one someday?"

Watching as the love of his life idly ran her fingers through one of Amy's long pigtails while looking at him like she wanted to jump him right then and there, Derek couldn't help but wonder if this was what Amy had been planning for all along, death by uncomfortableness. "Someday, maybe. You uh…you're serious?"

"I never really thought about it before you and I got together," She smiled, looking far away and thoughtful, "But with you? Yeah, I think I'd like to have one or two. I don't get you Derek, you can stare down combat, but what, a dirty diaper scares you?"

"I'm not father material, babe." Derek released a sigh, trying not to get too deep bearing in mind Amy was listening to every word, despite the tired little yawn, complete with stretch and squeak she just let out, "I wouldn't want you to get your hopes up or anything."

"You're full of…" Jessica stopped herself mid sentence, remembering the young ears laying beside her, lowering her voice significantly, "You're full of shit Derek. You've helped raise three kids!"

"Raise is a very…" Derek sighed again, glancing over as Cameron stood, only to sit down again, this time nestling herself in John's lap, bringing a huge grin to the boy's face, "I didn't help all that much, Sarah did all the leg work. I only came along recently."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe," She looked over at a currently passed out Sarah with a snort.

"She's done alright, I mean, look at them," Instantly regretting his decision statement, Derek tried quickly to cover, knowing seeing siblings so…close, would probably make her start asking questions, no matter how drunk she was.

"Um…" Jessica paused for a long moment, mouth hanging open slightly. Even after seeing the gun hidden under the sink, seeing John and Cameron looking so cozy was easily the weirdest thing she'd seen today, "What's that about?"

"Um, they're just close is all," Derek reached out, and in a deft manoeuvre, swivelled her chin around to face him with his finger, diverting her attention away, "Look, we've only been together a little while, it's crazy to be talking about kids like this."

"I just…" She fought off the odd thoughts about John and Cameron long enough to focus on Derek, "Sometimes, I get the feeling that you and I don't have much time. That something is gonna happen to you."

"What makes you say that?" Derek asked warily, wondering just how much he'd been slipping up with his cover lately. Introducing her to the family probably didn't help in that regard.

Sighing, Jessica curled tighter against him, trying not to buffet Amy about too much, and trying not to let a sudden wetness in her eyes develop any further, "I'm not stupid, Derek."

"Whoa, hey," Derek instantly reached out and rubbed her shoulder in a manner he hoped was comforting, "Nobody is calling you stupid."

"You treat me like I am," She sniffled, shaking her head, "I have eyes. I have ears. Tell me this much, amI the only one you lie to, or do you keep your family in the dark too?"

"What are you talking about?" Forgetting all about the machine laying in between them, Derek reached out and gently caressed her cheek, "I'm not lying to you, or my family."

"You know I love you…right?"

"Of course I do but…" Derek shook his head, wondering just where everything had taken such a bad turn today, barely noticing as Cameron's hands started drifting up and down John's chest slowly.

"You know I accept you," Glancing down, Jessica confirmed Amy was asleep before continuing, keeping her voice deliberately low, "All of you, Derek. You're not gonna scare me off. I've seen your scars, I've felt the shrapnel under your skin…it's okay."

"Wha, what's okay?" Derek asked, his jaw flapping around in the air, just hoping Cameron wasn't listening to this, otherwise things could get messy, no matter how comfortable she looked at the minute, "I told you, I'm retired."

Jessica let out a sigh, really on the verge of tears by this point, "Will you please just _stop_ lying to me? Derek, you disappear all the time, you pretend you support an entire family on disability pay, which we both know is total bullshit…"

"Shhh, just keep your voice down alright," Glancing around to make sure nobody was paying attention, he held his hands over Amy's ears to keep up the pretence, "I's not bullshit. What do you think I do all the time, where do you think I go?"

"I looked it up, Derek. Disability pay for a guy like you is practically nothing, even if Sarah is collecting widow's benefits too, it's not nearly enough to keep five people taken care of." She shook her head a little sadly, "You show up at my place smelling like Daddy after he goes skeet-shooting, you constantly have new cuts and bruises, and those stitched up wounds on your chest are definitely not years old."

"Jess, Babe…" Derek sounded almost pleading, wanting her to just drop it, mostly for her own sake.

Dropping her voice low and double checking Amy was still asleep, she leaned closer, "So either you're patrolling the streets of LA every night as some kind of super hero, or you have something you need to tell me, Derek."

"I, I…" Derek stalled. He didn't know what he could tell her that wasn't either a flat out lie or the truth, either way he was screwed.

Sighing, she leaned back to look him in the eyes, "The money, the disappearing act, the obvious combat injuries... I know what's going on here Derek."

"You do?" Derek asked with a resigned sigh, "I can explain."

"You don't have to explain," Jessica reached up, surprisingly cupping his cheek with a smile, "Just admit the truth…you're a mercenary."

Derek had never felt relief like it. In fact, it took several seconds after she'd said it for his brain to catch up and process her words, a broad smile breaking out on his face before he quickly schooled himself, "Yeah, I admit it. Look, I just wanted to keep you safe, protect you from my past."

"I'm not a little girl, Derek. I know how the world works," Returning his smile, she leaned up and dropped a slightly sloppy kiss on his lips, "You need to provide for your family, and this is what you're trained to do. I just don't want you lying to me. If you've gotta leave on some dangerous mission, tell me... I wanna know if you're in danger."

"You do?" Through all the stress of being put through the ringer like that, Derek had barely noticed his hand had inadvertently came to rest on Amy's upper arm, the little machine grinning like an idiot between them.

"Of course I do," Jessica answered, leaning up to nuzzle at his neck, oddly turned on by the idea of her man jetting off exotic places to kill bad guys, "And I won't lie and say I won't worry. But is that really so bad? To have someone at home thinking about you?"

Chuckling more in relief than humour, Derek tugged her closer, "I guess not. I uh…" Unable to bring himself to get emotional in front of Amy, or anybody for that matter, Derek settled for pulling her closer, 'Come here."

"Are you wanting to go upstairs, Mr. Baum?" Jessica asked, smiling up at him as she tried to shuffle Amy's weight around without disturbing her too much when he eyes landed on the pair across the fire, "Oh my God…is his hand…"

Derek glanced over to where she was looking and made a mental note to inflict more damage on John, despite Cameron's warning, "Yeah, let's head upstairs, great idea to sleep here tonight."

"Um," Keeping her eyes focused on the odd sight in front of her, granted, she was drunk, but she was pretty sure John's hand was gliding in slow circles over Cameron's belly under her shirt, "Wha…what about Amy?"

Thinking quickly, Derek stood, making sure to block her view of his idiot nephew, and heaved Amy up into his arms, trying not to stumble backwards form her weight. The hardest part though was trying not to freak out when a pair of small, freezing cold arms latched themselves around his neck, "It's past her bedtime."

"Shouldn't we wake Sarah up or something?" Jessica asked, looking a little lost and confused at the sudden movements.

"Nah, she's fine, the kids can take care of her, now come on." Doing his best to support Amy's weight with one arm, he reached out and snagged Jessica's hand and started tugging her towards the house.

"Um…okay," She followed behind him obediently, waving at the kids as she passed, "Night Cameron, night John."

Sighing with relief once they were in the house proper, Derek released Jessica's hand and wrapped it around Amy again, hefting her up higher for the trip up the stairs. Once they were in the upstairs hallway, he turned to face Jessica, "My room is down there on the left. I'm uh…gonna put this one to bed."

"Okay," Jessica stood on her tiptoes and dropped a kiss on his lips, then sank lower and planted another on the back of Amy's head, "Goodnight sweetheart," she looked back up at Derek, her smile sultry, "I'll be waiting."

Derek watched as she slinked away into his bedroom before barging the door to Amy's pink monstrosity of a room open. Once inside, he shoved the door closed with his foot, "You can drop the act now."

Amy opened her eyes slowly, still in his arms, clinging to his neck, "Awww, you loooove her!"

Suddenly releasing his arms from beneath her, he let her small body flop onto her bed with a growl, "What the fuck was that? Are you and Cameron trying to screw me over?"

"You make it so easy!" Amy looked up at him from the bed, giggling softly to herself, "Come on, you've got an angel next door, and you're blaming ME for trying to screw YOU over?"

"I'm too busy trying to convince her that John and Cameron aren't having sex down the hall."

"Nah," Amy cocked her head to the side, feigning that she was listening out of the open bedroom window, "They're having sex outside."

"Please God tell me you're joking…" Derek sighed, resisting the temptation to confirm it for himself, "If Jessica hears something tonight, I'm boned. I just dodged a huge fucking bullet as it is!"

"Oh please, she's so drunk she won't remember anything." Smiling, Amy sat herself cross legged on the bed, facing him, "Something tells me that's a good thing when she's sleeping with a bum like you!"

"And seriously, what the hell is with you pulling the cute little kid act around her? Is it not enough pretending Sarah is your mommy, you need another one too? You're giving her ideas!"

"I know," Getting what could only be described as a devilish grin, Amy stood up on the bed, bouncing gently in front of him, right in his eyeline, "'But Babe, I'm not daddy material'."

"Well…I'm not!"

"You're telling me! You're not supposed to growl when somebody tells you to give your niece your jacket," She pulled the jacket tighter around herself, "Thanks for this by the way, it's comfy."

"Gimme that!" Derek reached out and snagged his jacket back, ignoring the pout from the little girl. "I've got enough repair work to do with her without you putting babies in her head."

Amy rolled her eyes theatrically, flopping back down to the bed unceremoniously, "Relax, she meant everything she said out there."

Derek froze in folding up his jacket, eyeing the machine warily. "What's that supposed to mean."

"God you're dumb," Amy teased, before breaking out into a sincere smile, "Everything she said, she was telling the truth. You're really not gonna scare her off, she really doesn't care that you're a 'mercenary', and yes, she does want kids with you someday. She was drunk, very drunk, but deep down, she meant every word."

"How the hell do you know that?" Derek asked after taking a moment to process her words…babies?

Amy held up her hand, idly moving her fingers around, "Built in lie detector, Uncie D!"

Unable to completely fight off a smirk, Derek couldn't help but be overwhelmed by what he was hearing. Would Jessica actually be able to stomach learning about Judgement Day, machines, Skynet…her future? It was a tantalising possibility either way.

Focusing on the present, he found Amy patiently waiting for an answer, which he gave by subtly clearing his throat, "Um, thanks. You think you could go make sure Sarah gets to bed tonight?"

Breaking out into a smile, Amy hopped down off her bed, "Sure thing, boss!"

With that, she slid past him, grinning the entire way and leaving a very confused Derek alone with his thoughts. He had to tell her the truth soon…didn't he?

* * *

**Aren't you glad it was split now?**

**I promise, there'll be some more Jameron in the next chapter. Thanks as always to Dekardkain for his help.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys,**

**As always, thanks to all reviewers, they're very much appreciated.**

* * *

As long as John Connor lived, he was pretty certain he'd never get used to waking up with Cameron Phillips' shoulder for a pillow. But there he was, dragging himself out of his slumber and picking his sweaty cheek up off her skin. As if that wasn't bad enough, upon closer inspection, he discovered a less than attractive patch of drunken drool on her otherwise flawless porcelain skin. Wiping it off with a groan, he allowed his head to slump back down where he dropped a couple of kisses on her chest, "Mmmm, morning Princess."

"Nice to see you, John." Smiling, Cameron lightly ran her fingertips up her lover's bare arm where it rested across her body, "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby." Closing his eyes again, John used the arm slung across her to snuggle in tighter, "I know it sounds silly…but I love waking up with you."

Tilting her head to the side curiously, Cameron slowly ran her hand through the short hair on the back of his head, "Why? Isn't sleep the goal when laying in bed at night?"

"I just feel…comfortable with you," No matter how hard he willed his blood vessels to comply, John couldn't keep the blush off his cheeks, "I feel safe."

"Good," For Cameron, no greater compliment could ever be payed, it was her job after all to keep him safe. While laying there idly playing with his hair, she marvelled at how the dynamics of a relationship could shift when physical intimacy was involved. Before they'd became a couple, she was pretty sure John had always loved her, but he'd never have paid her such a compliment without the added influence of a sexual relationship.

Sinking lower in the bed, she wrapped her strong arms around her man and tangled her legs with his, "It's my job to keep you safe."

John couldn't keep the goofy grin off his lips now that he was face to face with his girlfriend, not too discretely taking in her sweet scent, "You feel warmer than usual."

"You've been laying on me all night," Cameron pointed out in her usual deadpan tone, looking down at the drying patch of drool pointedly, "Your body heat has increased the ambient temperature, you kept me warm."

"I'm sorry," John stifled a yawn to the best of his abilities as he snuggled in tighter, "I hope I wasn't too uncomfortable. I didn't mean to pass out on you."

"You were exhausted," Cameron replied with a shrug, silently thrilled with how he thought she could actually be uncomfortable and apologising for it. "You've had a busy few weeks."

"It's your fault anyways," John tilted his head up and gently kissed her neck, "You're just too comfy."

Despite his words making no sense, Cameron smiled while squeezing his flank gently where her hand rested, "I'm made of coltan alloy…I'm not comfortable."

"Don't care what your skeleton is made of," John replied instantly with a shake of his head, playfully pinching the skin on her back, "You're comfy."

Laying her head flat on the pillow, hair fanning out beneath her, Cameron scanned every flicker of John's eyelids, his general demeanour and his physical state before coming to a conclusion she already knew, "You're happier than you were two days ago."

Smiling at the feeling of her thumb idly caressing his side, John leaned down and brushed some hair from her face, "Of course I am. You made me the happiest guy on Earth."

"But you're still in pain," Cameron answered carefully, running her fingers over a nasty looking bruise on his midsection with her usual feather light touch.

Doing his best to fight off a shiver at her touch, John closed his eyes again, content to lay with her a little while longer, "Not that much. It feels better now."

"Did I hurt you two nights ago?" Cameron asked, looking at him with eyes as wide as saucers, full of concern, tearing her gaze away from his ribs.

"Of course not," John answered as his eyes shot open, shaking his head at the same time. Deciding she needed a little reassurance, he leaned in and kissed her long and gently, just the way he knew she liked, "Are you okay? You seemed a bit…disturbed."

Returning his kiss, albeit a little more chaste than the one he initiated, Cameron gently lay her hand on his cheek, cold metal digits flattening out against his warm skin, "I've never felt anything like it before. It was…intense."

Surprising even himself, John leaned into her touch on instinct. He was amazed with himself how comfortable he'd grown with seeing her exposed endoskeleton when two days ago it would have sent him scrambling out of bed. Putting it down to the effect of having a mini breakdown and finally getting his head out of his ass, he cast any built in discomfort aside and focused on the woman he loved, "Is that a good thing? Did you like it?"

Slowly running her thumb across his cheek, Cameron couldn't put into words the delight that flooded through her chip when he didn't even flinch, much less pull away, "I did like it, very much. It surprised me, but it wasn't unpleasant."

"I'm just happy you finally got to experience what I do when we make love." Turning slightly, John laid a string of gentle kisses across her metal knuckles, smirking the entire way as he watched her expression change with each kiss, "Pretty cool, huh?"

Cameron watched with rapt interest as she idly curled her finger around his, watching the pistons and servos move while he kissed, "That's what you've been experiencing since we became intimate? I didn't know, if I had, I would've tried harder to experience it."

"I tried to tell you how good it could be," Shifting his hand so he could entwine his fingers with hers, John shuffled his head so he could watch both her face and their hands, "But I kinda figured I would have to show you before you understood."

"I feel I should thank you for your patience with me," Giving his fingers a squeeze, Cameron smiled kindly at her lover, "It took almost twice the length of our usual lovemaking for the incident to occur."

"Totally worth it," John couldn't help but grin like an idiot as he thought back to the way her face looked as she moved on top of him, "I don't mind putting a little effort into it."

"I found a slower pace to be…enjoyable." Despite her words, a frown crept onto her face, "Did you enjoy it too?"

"I uh…" John just about managed to fight off a major blush, looking down, "I got mine."

Leaning forward slowly, Cameron gifted him with a soft, gentle kiss, squeezing his fingers and gently sucking his bottom lip between hers before pulling back. "It's good that you overcame your instincts," She glanced at their joined hands pointedly, "About this."

"You're still my Cameron." John couldn't help but frown, giving her cold fingers a squeeze by way of apology, "I'm so sorry I forgot that."

"I like that," Cameron replied rather oddly with a tilt of her head.

"Like what?" John asked, clearly confused by the non sequitur.

"'My Cameron', I like that."

Just from the way Cameron was smiling brought a wide grin to John's face as he dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose, "Well you are my Cameron."

Smiling in reply, Cameron shuffled her body closer, pressing herself flush against him, "And I'm sorry you had to suffer two cracked bones in your foot to realise that."

John couldn't help but look a little embarrassed when his body responded to having a very naked Cameron Phillips pressed against him like that. Glancing down, he certainly was glad he'd had the 'morning wood' talk with Cameron now that they were sleeping and living together. "Kicking the tub was a pretty stupid idea, but it worked out okay."

Smiling at the way she could cause a reaction in John's body, feeling the evidence of that against her leg, Cameron grazed the fingernails of her free hand down his chest, "Do you wish to see if you can replicate the results now?"

Smiling like a goofy kid, John couldn't help the giddy feeling at her words, "Eager for a repeat performance?"

"You did fall asleep on me last night," Ducking her head lower, she dropped a couple of teasing kisses on his chest, lazily drifting her way across the expanse of skin, "Do you feel you owe it to me?"

"I don't have to owe it to you," Closing his eyes, John could feel himself relaxing under her touch, "All you ever have to do is ask."

Pulling back, Cameron fixed him with a 'really?' look, "I have to ask?"

Smirking, John leaned forward and dropped a kiss on her forehead, "Nicely."

Never one to be beaten easily, Cameron pushed him flat on his back with relative ease before straddling his waist with a smile, the bed covers slipping 'accidentally' from her nude body. "How nicely?" She enquired while leaning down to nuzzle his neck while he considered his answer.

John let out a soft groan as his hands came to rest on her thighs, wondering just when and how she became so seductive, "Being polite…is important."

As much as John enjoyed games and teasing, Cameron was in no mood, "Please John…"

Kissing his neck one last time, she switched to the other side to lavish some attention on the skin just above his jugular, she mumbled against his skin, "Make me feel good."

"That might just be the sexiest thing I've ever heard."

* * *

Amy Baum had always had a short attention span, she blamed it on a trigger happy Skynet screwing with her systems. But that morning she found herself running really short of entertainment, just how Cameron managed to lay next to John while he slept for eight hours every night she'd never know.

It was Amy's job to patrol at night and keep the house, Sarah in particular, safe. She'd done that, got bored, wandered around the neighbourhood, got bored again and came back. She'd almost exhausted her supply of Disney movies too. She'd treated herself to one movie per night/morning when everyone was asleep and she only had three days worth of movies left.

_Life sucks!_

She hadn't even changed shape in two days because she didn't want to risk a reoccurrence of the incidents she'd been experiencing lately. The degradation rate had dropped considerably since she'd stopped shape shifting, but that integrity percentage was still slowly, and worryingly, dropping.

So until everybody else woke up, she had to make her own entertainment. Tying Derek's shoelaces together provided a small modicum of relief, but that soon wore off when she realised she'd still have to wait for him to wake up to provide any fun.

Then she considered screwing with Cameron, but couldn't come up with anything that didn't involve going into her room where she was obviously very alert and not sleeping. She'd never mess with Sarah like that, or Jessica for that matter who still slumbered upstairs. That left John.

She briefly considered swapping out all the crunchy cheese things for the puffy ones, but that whole thing just reeked of effort and planning…that made it a firm no no.

Huffing in annoyance, she decided she'd had enough of being on her own. After all, Sarah was usually awake to keep her company at this time in the morning. Hell, Sarah was usually awake as soon as a crack of daylight filtered through her window, but not that morning.

Based on the amount of alcohol Amy had seen her consume the day before, it didn't surprise her that Sarah had decided to make an exception to her early starts today. But that just wouldn't do, just because she was hungover didn't mean Amy should be deprived of the first face she usually saw in the morning.

Hopping down off the couch and pausing her Little Mermaid DVD, Amy set off towards the stairs, intent on waking Sarah up whether she wanted to be or not. When she reached the top of the stairs however, a noise caught her attention from down the hall.

Slowly and quietly making her way towards the final door on the left, Derek's room, she opened the door just a crack to peek in. She didn't know whether to find the sight incredibly heartwarming, or to burst out in a fit of giggles.

Jessica was laying on her side on Derek's bed, her nose bright red, sniffling and sneezing. While even cuter, Derek kneeled beside the bed gently getting the hair out of her face and whispering quietly to her. Oh how she would never let him live it down for seeing his sweet and tender side, caring for his obviously sick girlfriend like that.

Grinning to herself and filing the image away for later use, Amy slipped quietly back into the hallway, ignoring the quiet conversation coming from the future husband and wife's room and carrying on her path to Sarah's door.

Pushing it open quietly, Amy smiled to herself at the sight of Sarah face down on the bed, snoring, exactly where she'd left her the night before. Usually at the sound of anybody opening the door, Sarah would've been up and pointing the 9mm she kept under her pillow. But not today.

Quietly, the little machine made her way over to the window. Checking one last time over her shoulder, she proceeded to throw the drapes open wide, bathing the room in bright sunlight. That task completed, she literally skipped her way over to the bed, clambered up onto it and stood a moment before launching herself higher in the air, bouncing energetically on the springs, "Wakey, wakey Sarah!"

Frowning, Sarah tossed an arm over her eyes, and in a very un Sarah Connor like move, let out a low growl, "Fuck off."

"Sarah!" Amy whined with a pout for full effect as she carried on bouncing, "That's a naughty word!"

"You lived with soldiers!" Sarah replied groggily, opening her eyes experimentally and immediately slamming them shut again. "Go bug Derek!"

"But he's too busy taking care of Aunt Jessica," Flopping down on the bed with a less than ladylike grunt, Amy plastered on her best pout as she landed on her knees, "Whatsa matter?"

"Stop doing that!" Clutching simultaneously at her head and her stomach, Sarah was in no mood to be jostled by the little girl that weighted more than any normal little girl should have. However, she couldn't quite keep the smirk from creeping across her lips, "The model having trouble keeping up huh?"

"She's in a better state than you," Taking a moment to prod at Sarah's belly through the covers, seemingly blissfully unaware of the current unstable status of said belly. "She even manages to look good when she's sick."

"The bit…how would you know?" Sarah grumbled, swatting blindly at the tiny metal hand poking her hungover belly.

"I've been in for a looksy," Smirking knowingly when she had her hand swatted away, Amy shuffled her little body higher and began prodding her finger into Sarah's cheek, "You look prettttty today!"

"Thought you said I looked worse than the model?" Feeling a cold, stubby finger in her cheek, she again swatted at the offending digit, although she couldn't entirely suppress a smirk, Amy's childlike and cutesy voice getting to her like it usually did.

"You do, but you still look pretttty!" Unable to totally suppress a grin, Amy stopped prodding Sarah's cheek momentarily, only to latch her thumb and forefinger onto her eyelashes. Not giving Sarah a moment, she pulled, hard.

"Owwww!" Finally sitting up, her head swimming, Sarah glared at Amy. "What do you think you're…why the _hell_ am I naked?"

Sitting back on her haunches, glad she'd gotten the reaction she wanted, Amy grinned proud and wide, "I helped you get undressed last night when you were half asleep."

Actually, Sarah had practically begged Amy not to leave, but that was something Amy decided was best left for another time to reveal.

"Just you?" Sarah asked with a slight smile, eyeing a particularly nice pattern on Amy's dress for a moment, "I had the weirdest dream that Cameron was in my room."

"Well you are kinda heavy," Amy remarked with a shrug, looking as innocent as she could, "I needed some help."

"Cameron saw me…like this?" Sarah asked, glancing down at her nude body and turning an odd shade of red-ish green.

"Oh come on, it's not the first time," Amy replied with a bright smile. Standing up again, her smile never faded as she started bouncing on Sarah's bed energetically, "How do you feel? A little tender?"

"Like a Terminator stomped on my skull," Sarah answered honestly, trying her best to ignore the smirk on Amy's face as she jumped, "That girl…she just drives me to drink. She's so…so…"

"Yeah, Cameron is annoying," Amy commented nonchalantly, grinning as she bounced in a circle, performing a full 360 degree spin.

Rolling her eyes, Sarah propped herself up on one hand, tugging the covers up to her chest with the other, "I meant Jessica. She's so damn bubbly! How the hell can someone like Derek deal with that?"

"I think she's nice." Amy commented as she flopped down again, this time with one leg either side of Sarah's. Idly playing with one of her pigtails, she huffed a little disappointedly, "You don't like her?"

"She's a distraction," Sarah answered with a nod, followed by a frown when the throbbing in her head started again, "And a dangerous one the way she makes Derek so…open."

"You kidding me?" Amy eyed Sarah skeptically, twirling a pigtail around her finger innocently, "She thinks Derek is a mercenary and that Cameron and John are siblings. Can't get more closed off than that."

Quirking a brow, Sarah tilted her head a fraction to the left, "I thought she thought he was retired?"

Amy shrugged, "She 'worked it out' last night," She paused to hook her fingers in the air, "Thinks she's caught him by surprise by knowing so much. Should keep her at bay until she realises she didn't hallucinate John and Cameron practically having sex by the fire."

Sarah couldn't fight off the scowl that flashed across her face, although it wasn't so much in revulsion, more like parental disappointment. Now that realisation did cause more than a little revulsion she had to swallow down, "Can't those two _ever_ keep it in their pants?"

"Reminds me of the future," Amy shrugged nonchalantly, and a little mysteriously as she traced the outline of the flower pattern of the bedspread with her finger, right on top of Sarah's legs.

Normally, the idea of a machine quietly running it's finger in circles mere inches from her bare legs would've sent Sarah into a fit of panic. But oddly enough she paid it no mind as she looked decidedly conflicted about something else. "What…what are they like? In the future?"

Amy glanced up, trying to read Sarah's expression. She was surprised to say the least that she even wanted to know the answer to that, "Screw like bunnies, scream like banshees when they're pissed," She shrugged, "Just an average week."

"Wait…they fight?" Sarah asked with a confused quirk of her brow, "They're always so sweet together. Makes me wanna puke some days. I can't imagine them yelling."

"Um…she's…temperamental." Amy smiled, although it came off as a little creepy, "And he's never been the easiest to deal with."

Sarah ignored the odd look on Amy's face, "Well I know he can be an ass, but she doesn't get angry. She's a machine," Sarah reasoned with a shrug.

Amy felt her face twisting into a frown. She really thought her and Sarah were past that as she climbed off of her legs, folding her arms across her chest. "We're not all as primitive as Uncle Bob you know."

"But she doesn't get angry," Seemingly missing Amy's shift in mood, Sarah repeated it like it was a mantra, "If she did she could be dangerous."

Amy rolled her eyes as she shuffled around to face Sarah properly, not exactly thrilled with having to explain this for about the thousandth time, "She gets happy, she gets sad. She gets angry, she gets horny. Basically an average Sarah Connor day, she can go through it all."

"She does _not_ get horny," Sarah resolutely shook her head in reply, "Please…tell me she doesn't."

"Why do you think she goes through the trouble of sleeping with your son?" Amy grinned knowingly, "She doesn't do it just to keep warm you know."

"Because John likes it…and John is everything to her." Sarah shrugged, assuming that was all there was to it, "She wasn't designed to feel pleasure, Amy. She may find it 'intriguing', or whatever the hell she calls it, but not the same way I do."

Amy stuck her bottom lip out adorably by way of response, "You don't think I feel happiness when I do something I like?"

"I wasn't talking about emotions. I was talking about _pleasure._"

"Fine." Amy sat up properly, deciding to put Sarah straight with something only she knew, in this timeline anyway. "Cameron has more nerve receptors in her body than you do, okay? She's designed and built to feel _everything_, it's just that most of her nerves aren't really awake yet. But they will be." Aiming a gentle punch at Sarah's legs through the covers, Amy grinned, "So yeah, she can feel pleasure…lots of it."

"Yet?" Sarah couldn't help but look alarmed at that one little word, "As in, some day she'll be even more sensitive than a human?"

Amy nodded slowly, "Mmhmm. But she doesn't know it yet, and neither does John. So you gotta keep it a secret, okay?"

Sarah frowned pointedly, ignoring the requested promise, "My God…that means she _did_ break the headboard!"

"You really thought John could do that to an inch thick piece of wood?" Amy tilted her head a fraction and sat up a little higher, "He's not that strong yet!"

"You keep using that word, 'yet'." Sarah shook her head, "Kyle…he wasn't that big."

"He wasn't sleeping with a cyborg!" Amy answered with an impish grin as she stood up, "John will be huge!"

"You never met him?" Sarah asked curiously, although tinged with a sad smile, "Did you? John's father."

Amy shook her head slowly, stretching her arms above her head, trying in vain to see if she could reach the ceiling, "Nope, he was gone before I was created. Why?"

"He was…" Sarah shook her head, reminding herself of who she was talking to, feeling the covers pull when the little metal girl took a step to steady herself, her bare feet digging into the comforter. "Are the lovebirds up yet?"

"In a manner of speaking," Amy replied with a smile, letting her arms swing down to her sides, faintly picking up the noise of John groaning and Cameron yelping in surprise. Now that was odd. "Come on, we gotta get up. I'm so bored downstairs by myself!"

Sighing, Sarah rubbed her face tiredly, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and remembering an important fact, "Well I need clothes before I can do anything."

"Ooooh, wear those cute new jeans and that top I picked out for you!" Amy squealed happily as she hopped down off the bed, clapping her hands together in glee, already halfway to Sarah's underwear drawer.

"Those jeans are too tight," Sarah replied with a smirk, trying to sound serious, and yet Amy's exuberance was getting the better of her, "And the top doesn't cover my stomach!"

Pulling open the drawer she knew Sarah kept her underwear in, Amy started rummaging around, "Well it'll cover up the fact you look like crap today."

Pulling out something small, black and lacy with a wicked grin, Amy knew full well they were more than likely a Cameron choice from their last shopping trip. "Ooooh, these are nice!"

Sarah frowned, so set in her ways that she didn't even want to consider anything other than what she knew. "There is no reason for me to wear something like that, Amy. Bring me something comfy."

The absurdity of sitting on the edge of her bed, totally naked whilst debating the finer points of underwear choices with a machine was not lost on Sarah at all. But if she was honest with herself, she didn't really care…either that or she was just too hungover to really consider it.

"Those _are_ comfy, you just have to put the damn things on first and see for yourself." Grinning, she deftly flicked the underwear at Sarah's head, satisfied beyond measure when they found their target squarely, "Come on, I'm sure you feel the need to look good today, especially after yesterday."

"What the hell are you up to Amy?" Sarah asked with narrowed eyes and a sigh, pulling the garment from her face. However, she still stood and slipped on the underwear, quirking a brow when she realised they fit her perfectly. Cameron certainly had a talent for judging size. "I know you."

Amy turned around, looking incensed at the accusation. That was until she grinned and flicked a similarly lacy black bra towards Sarah. "Nothing, I just wanna help you feel good about yourself for a change. Besides, how often will you have the chance to put a fashion model to shame?"

"I thought you said she was sick?" Sarah asked with a roll of her eyes as she deftly caught the bra in mid air, not exactly thrilled by being dressed up by a machine.

"She is, and she looks like crap, her nose is bright red, like Rudolph!" Turning away from the drawers with a giggle, Amy was immeasurably pleased when she found Sarah had donned the underwear she'd picked out. "By the time I'm finished with you, you could even put Cameron to shame!"

"But why bother?" Sarah asked sceptically, leaning forward to check her face in the mirror, "They need to look good. They have…reasons."

Sighing, Amy pushed the drawer closed and shuffled up behind Sarah. "Is it so wrong in the book of Sarah Connor badassness to want to look good on occasion, sexy even?"

"Page one, paragraph two," Sarah replied without missing a beat, smirking the whole time, "Right after the section on pipe bombs."

Grinning, Amy wrapped her small arms around Sarah's waist from behind and gave her a squeeze, "Can we do something fun today?"

Quirking a brow dubiously, Sarah shrugged, the feeling of Amy's cold arms wrapped around her oddly not bothering her in the way it should have. "Define fun."

"There's a carnival in town. I've always wanted to go on a rollercoaster!" Amy grinned into Sarah's back, giving her what she hoped was an encouraging squeeze.

Sarah couldn't help but chuckle to herself, tentatively laying a hand on top of Amy's, "You are such a child sometimes."

Shrugging, Amy smiled again, "It's what I do! So…is that a yes?"

Giving Amy a long, hard look in the mirror, Sarah couldn't hold it any longer without cracking a tiny smile, "I did need to go and pick up some clothes for John today."

"Awesome!" Taking that as a definite yes, Amy gave Sarah a tight hug before releasing her, "Oooh, we can go on rides, you can show off your outfit, maybe you'll even have a little fun!"

"Fine," Sarah answered with a roll of her eyes, trying to sound casual and parentally annoyed, "But you're the one who has to tell Cameron she's cooking dinner tonight because I won't have time."

Grinning like an idiot, Amy could barely contain her glee, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet, "We are gonna have soooo much fun!"

* * *

Running his hands over his cheeks and letting out a weary sigh, Quinn took a moment to admire the view out of his office wall. Made entirely of glass in a high rise office building, it gave him an unspoiled view of the majority of Los Angeles. There were some benefits to working for a lunatic who liked to pretend he was a businessman after all.

Dropping his hands to his sides, they came to rest on his desk where he was currently leaning on the edge, facing out to the skyline. Deciding he may as well get some work done, he plucked his cellphone off the desk and fished a small scrap of paper out of his pocket.

Scribbled on it was a phone number. He punched the number in the cell phone with one hand and discarded the paper back on to his desk and rested his free hand on his lap.

A dial tone, that was a start. Patience was never one of his virtues, but it felt like forever before somebody answered. Eventually though he heard a click followed by deafening noise coming rom the other end of the line, so much so he had to pull the phone away from his ear with a grimace.

Gingerly returning it to his ear, he had to yell down the receiver just to make sure he'd be heard, "HELLO! CLAYTON, YOU THERE?"

Pausing for a moment while yet another thunderous noise travelled down the line, "ALFIE! HELLO! IT'S QUINN!"

Smiling when he heard a familiar, albeit yelling and muffled voice from down the phone, Quinn folded one arm across his chest while he held the phone to his ear with the other, "YEAH, LONG TIME!"

Straining his ears to pick up the muffled voice, he could barely make out anything going on, "ALFIE, WHERE ARE YOU? YOU SOUND LIKE YOU'RE IN A DAMN WARZONE…OH, YOU ARE?"

As if his timing couldn't get any worse, Vasquez chose that moment to enter the office he'd given to his hired mercenary under the guise of security. Actually, he was just passing the office when he heard raised voices and noticed the distinct lack of an assistant outside the office waiting to greet visitors. Pushing open the door, he found Quinn yelling down the phone, leaning on his desk facing out towards the window and away from the door.

Casually entering the room, he wasn't surprised when Quinn swivelled his neck around almost 180 degrees and he held up a finger to indicate he'd only be a minute. With a nod, Vasquez let his eyes roam around the room, quirking a brow when they landed on the rather surprising homely touches the mercenary had added, like the potted plant on his desk, and a novelty complaints ticket dispenser modelled on a grenade.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the man's gruff exterior, and yet either he done it on purpose to improve his image around the office, or he had the genuine desire to blow people up if they dare question him. Either way, Vasquez found the oddity entertaining.

"WHAT? WELL I'VE GOT A JOB FOR YOU," Quinn yelled into his phone, turning away from his boss and adjusting his angle to keep his back to the man.

"NO, IT'S ALRIGHT, YOU'RE BUSY…WELL YOU ARE BEING SHOT AT…LOS ANGELES," Quinn glanced back over his shoulder before sticking a finger in his other ear.

"BUT YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS YET…YEAH THE PAY IS GOOD…BUT YOU CAN'T JUST…ALRIGHT, SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS," He could've sworn he heard a grenade exploding right before he hung up, but he dismissed it, Alfie would probably just shoot the guy who threw it between the eyes anyway.

"How are things progressing?" Vasquez enquired, hands clasped behind his back as he admired some of the fine art he'd decorated all his offices with. It was better than staring at the back of the Australian's head.

"Not bad," Quinn remarked, shuffling on his desk and setting the phone down in favour of gripping the edge of his desk and looking over his shoulder, "Just doing some recruiting, we should be good to go soon."

"Excellent," Vasquez replied with a firm nod, still keeping his attention on a particularly nice print above the door, "Where is Erin?"

"Oh, uh…" Quinn couldn't fight off the smirk on his face as he glanced down at his lap, "She's taking care of a problem for me."

"Very well," Vasquez turned around, finding it a little odd that Quinn hadn't even bothered to stand up properly yet, despite the presence of his employer. Putting it down to the mercenary lacking basic manners, he scoffed gruffly, "Keep me updated."

With that he left the office, the door swishing shut behind him. Quinn breathed a sigh of relief as he looked down at his lap. That man was a giant pain in his ass, but unfortunately he was the one signing the cheques, so he'd have to keep him sweet.

Allowing his eyes to roll back in his head, he tossed his head back and gripped the edge of the desk tighter, his knuckles turning white. The timing of his entry couldn't have been worse either, barging in in the middle of a phone call was rude enough, but he could've at least knocked first. As it was, he'd just had to carry on and push through it regardless.

With a grunt and a shudder, Quinn slammed his hand down onto another spot on the desk while biting his cheek to keep the noise down. Finally allowing his eyes to crack open and his head to return to level, he was greeted by the delightful sight of Erin raising back up to her feet in front of him, gently dabbing at the corners of her mouth with a grin that told him just how much she knew exactly what she was doing to him by carrying on with her 'job' when Vasquez had entered the room.

Fortunately enough the man couldn't see her kneeling down behind the desk, otherwise she'd have been searching for a new job in the morning. Carefully setting Quinn's boxers back in place and buttoning him up with a coy smile, Erin looked up at her boss. "Will that be all, Mr. Quinn?"

Breaking out into a wide grin and a chuckle, Quinn settled his hands on her hips, "That will be all Miss Wilkes. Thank you for taking care of that problem for me."

Smiling wickedly, she slipped out of his grasp and started making her way towards the office door, heels clicking on the tile floor, she couldn't wait to get her phone and tell her best girlfriend what she'd just done, so out of character as it was, but this man just seemed to have some strange effect on her. Quinn meanwhile settled down into his chair and watched her as she left, shaking his head in disbelief at how easy he'd managed to get that one 'onboard'.

Picking his phone up with a smirk, he dialled the next number on his list. Including Clayton, that made three with Stewart and himself. A few more phone calls, a little prep work and they'd be ready to earn their money and take care of Mr. Vasquez's little liquid metal problem.

* * *

Taking a seat on the edge of her bed, Cameron idly wondered just when, where and how her nesting instinct had started to develop.

Since losing the sanctuary of the shed at the bottom of the driveway of their old house, she'd lost what she considered to be her own private space to perform whatever activities she decided the others might deem 'weird'. Sure, she'd had a room at the old house, but she never really considered that as anything more than a place to store her possessions, mostly her abundance of wardrobe choices.

But since the family had moved into this new house, she'd curiously found herself taking root in the bedroom she shared with her boyfriend, John. That thought brought a smile to the cyborg's face as she set the items in her hands down by her side.

Admittedly she hadn't really thought about it that way until she'd made a few 'personal' touches to the room. John had questioned the choice of drapes, the full size dresser and the fact he was only allowed a quarter of the wardrobe space, but she'd effectively silenced him mid argument when she pressed herself close to him and dropped a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. After that, he broke out into a goofy grin and forgot what the hell he was arguing about in the first place.

It was a remarkable trait among mated humans of how easy they were to manipulate by their partners, something Cameron vowed she wouldn't use to her advantage…too often. But by her calculations, everything she'd added was necessary. John wouldn't ever need more wardrobe space, she'd argued that she could look her best with a bigger dresser…and the drapes were nice. Alright, she was willing to concede that last one may have been something of a luxury.

So she'd subconsciously taken root in their room, this was her new sanctuary, and she had an experiment to conduct that might not be considered 'normal'.

That morning's activities had given her much to consider, most notably the fact she felt pain, she'd actually hurt when John had bit her ear. She'd never felt pain before, her systems had always filtered out the electrical impulses that would register as pain, but for whatever reason, they hadn't that morning, causing her to yelp and pull back in surprise.

John of course had panicked and apologised profusely in that adorable, overprotective way of his. After managing to calm him down, he and Cameron discussed the development. Surprisingly it was John who'd came up with the most logical reasoning behind it.

He'd theorised that her chip was 'subconsciously' activating all her nerve impulses and receptors to their maximum when she was, for want of a better word, aroused. Apparently that also meant her nerve impulse filtering systems were either toned down or just plain shut off, allowing her to feel everything, including pain.

She didn't blame John for it, although it did take her by surprise, so now she had to find out if this new development would impede her ability to protect John. If she could feel pain, then she could become a liability, not a good protector, which is what she still was no matter how much she developed.

But what surprised her the most was when John performed another little experiment to test his hypothesis. During the peak of their intimacy, John licked his way up her neck, gently, slowly…and then he bit down on the skin of her favourite spot. The intensity of her reaction surprised both of them. She let out a piercing shriek and clamped her thighs around his waist, her eyes burned bright blue for a long moment. She'd never felt anything so intense before, even during her first experience of sexual release a few days ago.

It seemed the pain had helped her along, as it were. In fact it had all been too much for John. Her reaction coupled with his own pitiful human stamina had resulted in him being unable to continue, given away by the fact he slumped on top of her afterward, exhausted. She shouldn't have blamed him, sex for over an hour with a cyborg would tax even the fittest of humans,, but she did blame him, she actually resented him because she didn't achieve her release.

A small discussion had ensued, mostly with Cameron throwing what could only be considered as a childish strop at John's inability to keep up with her.

Later she'd realised how petty she was being and apologised for overreacting, but she couldn't shake off the odd feelings and thoughts ever since. She found several things that had never bothered her before irritating her for reasons she couldn't understand. She'd even snapped at Amy when the small machine wouldn't stop yammering about how her and Sarah had argued with a midget carny when he'd tried to stop Amy from going on a ride because of her height.

Apparently they'd won the argument.

Casting the doubts about herself aside, she decided her own experiment was in order to determine the full extent of her…changes.

Gripping the hem of her shirt, Cameron whipped it off over her head without any hesitation. It was one of her favourites, it wouldn't do for it to be potentially ruined by what she was about to do. Setting the garment off to the side of the bed, she picked up the razor blade she'd removed from Sarah's LadyShave and held it to her undamaged arm. With a noticeable pause while she braced herself for potential pain, Cameron eventually dug the blade in to her arm and quickly cut a two inch slice into her synthetic flesh.

She felt nothing.

Relief flooded her systems as she removed the blade from her skin. She broke out into a definite, genuine smile as she set the blade aside and picked up several sheets of kitchen roll and pushed it to the wound to soak up the blood.

She felt absolutely nothing besides her systems telling her she was receiving damage, no pain, no emotional feeling at all. She wasn't sure what she would do if this development changed her sufficiently enough to stop her doing her job, but fortunately it seemed her chip was advanced enough to remove that dilemma from her altogether.

Removing the tissue thirty seconds later, Cameron inspected the already sealed wound and dabbed around at what remaining blood there was. She'd hoped her chip would behave in this manner, but she still wasn't quite sure why it was behaving this way in the first place. What point could there be to allowing her to feel pain in certain situations, what advantage could be gained from that?

Unless her chip had decided that sexual release was a good thing. If that was the case, Cameron certainly didn't mind, she had no idea it could feel so good, no matter how much John had tried to convince her of that fact. But now she could see the logic in the changes to her system, in fact, she was excited about them.

With a smile, she picked up her supplies and stood from the bed. Depositing the blade and the tissues in the trash bin in the corner…another new addition since she'd moved in, she felt a feeling of contentment that her experiment was a success. She didn't feel pain in her day to day life, but her body and her mind were evolving in ways she never could've predicted.

This could only be a good thing…right?

* * *

**I'm trying to make an effort to keep these chapters shorter so I can post more often, hope you all don't mind.**

**Also, if you don't have 'Becoming John Connor' by Dekardkain in your alerts or favourites list, add it now, because it's about to get soooo good! :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi guys,**

**Sorry about the awful delay. This chapter was originally meant to be one big chapter, but I've split it in two to save time, the next chapter should follow along a lot sooner than this one.**

* * *

"Whatcha doooooin?"

John glanced behind him, twisting his body a little uncomfortably, his arms above his head, one hand on the other elbow, "Stretching. Going for a run."

"Oh." Amy nodded her understanding, hands clasped behind her back.

Once again glancing behind him, John looked at the mini metal curiously as she settled down on to the porch steps, her hair in pigtails as usual, her dress bright and sunny. "How's mom?"

Amy scrunched up her face as she rested her head on her hands, "Ugh, she told me to fuck off when I tried to drag her out of bed."

John couldn't help but chuckle as he leaned forward at the waist, stretching out to reach his toes, imagining Amy trying to literally drag Sarah out of bed. "Yeah, you'll get used to that. She's uh…difficult, when she's sick."

"Tell me about it," Amy grumbled her agreement. After a moment of watching John gently bounce to stretch out his hamstrings, she stood up and made her way beside him. Examining the movement, she mimicked him, bending over double and reaching out for her toes.

Twisting his head to the side, John couldn't say he wasn't confused, "Whatcha doooooin?" He asked with a grin.

"Duh…stretching!" She replied, her smile wide as she copied him by standing upright, holding her arms out bent in front of her and twisting herself to the left at the waist. "Besides, you look like you could use some company."

Quirking a brow, John twisted to the right, chuckling a little at Amy's ridiculously wide stance as she copied him, "What makes you say that?"

The little machine shrugged by way of reply, finding the movement decidedly awkward in her current posture, "You look…" she turned her head to examine him, looking him up and down a couple of times, "Well you look like you're in a half way decent mood. It's…weird."

"Wow, thanks Amy," John replied with a chuckle, "Am I usually so miserable that when I finally am happy, you decide to keep me company? What, you think I might go crazy and enjoy myself if I'm left unsupervised?"

Swinging an aimless, playful swat out behind her, hoping to make contact with his arm, a wry grin tugged at the corner of Amy's lips, "Something like that. In the future, you were pretty infamous for going waaay overboard when you were in a good mood."

"Yeah, I remember Derek telling me about my infamous thirtieth!" John laughed a little at the memory of his uncle telling him about it, imagining his future self drinking alcohol that could no doubt pass for petrol if left to ferment long enough. "No, I'm good. I'm actually happy."

Amy let her arms drop and glanced over her shoulder at him, "I dunno why. Everybody around here's been miserable for a week."

"Yeah, it is a little weird that isn't it?" Rolling his head around in circles to stretch out his neck, John reached out and gave Amy's sleeve a tug to get her to watch and copy him. Why, he didn't know, but if she wanted to copy him, he may as well help her out. "How come Jessica managed to infect everybody besides me, and then she somehow recovers in like a day. How is that even possible?"

Amy shrugged as she turned to face him, mimicking his move and rolling her head a little more vigorously than she should have, making John wince a little watching her. "I dunno, but it is soooo funny that she kicked Derek out of her apartment in case he re-infected her."

"Yeah," John answered with a laugh, "To be fair though, she did have a big fashion shoot to go to somewhere this week. Derek and his constant snorting and sneezing would've kinda ruined the mood for her."

"She managed to infect everyone and keep them that way for a week," Amy added with a smile. "To be honest, I'm surprised Cameron hasn't declared her a biohazard and quarantined you!"

Amy was laughing, but her statement made John falter mid step. That was the one thing that was bothering him about his life the past week. He was pretty sure Cameron was acting a little…strangely. Both Sarah and Derek had noticed it and commented, especially Derek, but it seemed like the change was more subtle to John. In fact, he had a feeling that if it hadn't been pointed out to him, he'd never have noticed a difference.

"What? What's wrong?" Amy asked, her voice laced with concern as she sidled up behind a stationary John.

"You know what, I'm surprised she hasn't already done that based on her current mood." With that he carried on his path and placed his hands on the small wooden fence on the porch, pushing against it to stretch out his calf.

Once again copying him, Amy looked downright ridiculous stretching her non existent calves in a dress. Feigning ignorance, she looked up at him with a tilt of her head, "What do you mean?"

"Has Cameron seemed…off, to you?" John looked down at this little friend, hoping beyond hope he was wrong about his girlfriend, that it was just everybody choosing that week to pick on her or something.

"Off? Off how?" Amy asked, looking at the fence in front of her, trying to keep the knowing smile off her face.

Of course she knew what was bothering Cameron. The same things used to affect her in the future she came from. However Amy was content to let the young couple, particularly Cameron, work it out for themselves. After all, she had a feeling neither of them would really like the solution, so why bother telling them, she reasoned.

"I dunno," John answered honestly, switching legs, "She's just been more…twitchy, lately."

He looked over to her, hoping she'd understand. He really couldn't think of a better word to describe it, and based on what he'd been told by his family, Cameron had certainly been easier to provoke over the last week. Of course he hadn't believed his uncle when he'd told him that Cameron had yelled in his face when he'd raided her stash of pop tarts looking for junk comfort food. But when Sarah had informed him that she'd even slammed a couple of doors on her way out of the house, he started to worry about her.

He'd asked her of course if she was alright, and of course she'd vehemently insisted everything was fine. Invariably the discussion had turned into a rather steamy encounter…literally, the bathroom walls were dripping with condensation by the time the water had ran cold in the shower. However, it had once again resulted in disappointment for Cameron. Now that they both knew she was capable of reaching her own form of release, John felt bad that they hadn't been able to repeat it as yet.

Afterwards she'd assured him it was fine, that she didn't 'need' her release, that it was simply an added bonus. He'd took that at face value, but it did seem a little odd that she'd been acting strangely ever since they tried and failed to give her that 'added bonus'.

_Could that be why she's acting strange? Nah, couldn't be…_

"I hadn't noticed," Amy answered with a shrug, startling John out of his musings.

"What? Uh…oh yeah, probably just my imagination." John tried his best to force a smile as he stood back up properly, his stretch finished. Looking down at his little workout buddy, John forced a smile and pushed his doubts about Cameron to the back of his mind. "So, wanna come with?"

Quirking a brow at the offer, Amy shook her head, "Nah, I'll leave you to it."

Pausing for just a moment, John suddenly knelt down to her level, a look of uncertainty on his face, "Uh, can you do me a favour? See if you can find out what's bothering Cameron for me, she just refuses to tell me anything whenever I ask."

Tilting her head to the side in a pretty good impression of the aforementioned cyborg, Amy looked at John with sympathy, "I will, but I think it might just be something you two need to work out for yourselves."

Nodding slowly, John stood back up and started walking backwards towards the street, "Thanks Amy. You're on shopping duty today right?"

Amy nodded, watching him curiously as he backed up.

"Get me some of those cheese things will ya?" John asked, his grin wide.

"The crunchy ones, not the puffy ones." Amy smiled, "I gotcha!"

Smiling wide, John pivoted on a heel and took off at a jog down the path and onto the street. Although he had more questions than answers, Amy sure had a way of making him feel better about himself.

* * *

"Your weight would make that inadvisable." Cameron looked one step short of rolling her eyes at the mini metal's antics, "Besides, you appear older than any of the other children riding in the shopping carts, Don't be a freak."

Stamping her foot petulantly, Amy stood her ground, "I'll make this trip a nightmare if you don't lift me up into that cart right now…Cammy dear."

"I just wish to finish this as quickly as possible so I can return to John." It was an odd sensation, this 'anxiety' she'd been feeling ever since she left the house. The time she'd spend away from John would lead to this feeling manifesting itself, and it had started ever since her emotions started exerting themselves into her daily life.

It was a decidedly unpleasant feeling.

"I'll be much more help in the cart," Amy countered with a grin, pushing herself up on the side of the cart, "I can organise stuff!"

Sighing impatiently, Cameron snatched Amy under her arms and easily hoisted her into the cart, trying on her best 'big sister' voice, levelling a finger at Amy's face, "You will behave. Understood?"

"Of course!" Smiling, Amy turned away to face the front of the cart, out towards the store, "Well come on, let's get going!"

"I require the list." Cameron began pushing the cart, thankful she didn't pick out one with a squeaky wheel…that would have just about pushed her over the edge today. "I believe Sarah gave it to you."

Despite the fact both machines had perfect photographic and CPU driven memories, Sarah still felt it necessary to give the pair a list. John found it cute, Cameron merely found it inefficient, especially when she didn't get a look at the list before leaving the house.

Fishing in the pockets of her dress, created specifically for the task of holding the list, Amy pulled it out a moment later as she settled herself down cross legged in the cart facing her big sister. "What does she want all this stuff for?"

Wishing the little machine would simply hand her the list so she could get back to John, Cameron had to fight off the irrational urge to snatch it from her friend, "What 'stuff' are you referring to?"

"Nasal spray, Vaporub, Aspirin…" Looking up at Cameron, Amy's expression could have been put under a dictionary under 'Confused'. "Chicken soup?"

"She and Derek are sick," Cameron explained, quirking a brow, "If you wish to be a caretaker for a human, you must learn how to facilitate their needs. Their health is a particularly important factor."

"Chicken soup?" Amy asked again, "How can that help?"

"The warmth loosens mucus deposits in the throat and nasal cavities," Turning the cart into the pharmacy area, Cameron started scanning the array of bottles and boxes lining the shelves. "It is also 'easy on the stomach' and soothing to the sick. You really should try to expand your knowledge of human needs if you wish to care for one."

"Hmph," Amy declared unhappily, hoisting herself up and leaning on the hand rail in front of Cameron. "Humans are way too fragile."

"True," Cameron looked more than a little disturbed at that as she considered just how much a 'Fuckload of Nyquil' really was. Apparently Derek didn't believe in using standard measurements of liquid volume. "But it can also provide you with a bonding opportunity with your human. They rely on you more when ill, and are generally more agreeable to accepting assistance."

Quirking a brow almost comically, Amy sat up just a little higher, "You sound like you want your little boy toy to get sick. Now that's just mean!" She poked Cameron's belly by way of mock punishment.

"I would never want John to be ill." Cameron snapped at the insinuation that she could ever wish her John to get sick, losing her cultivated calm momentarily, "Besides, he already accepts my assistance."

"Yeah but, you can mother him, nurse him." Amy smiled as she stood up in the cart, Cameron's snap not lost on her, "Florence Nightingcyborg!"

"I have no desire to 'mother him'." Cameron quirked a brow when she spotted a medication that claimed to reinforce the immune system and fight off illness…she picked up three boxes for her John, "I am his girlfriend, not his mother."

"Yeah, so you keep telling everybody…" Slumping back down into the cart with a sigh, Amy idly started stacking the boxes of medicine into some semblance of order. "How's that working out for you?" She asked, trying not to smirk.

"It is…progressing nicely." In an uncharacteristic move, Cameron rubbed the side of her neck gently as she pushed the cart. For her at least, it was an odd subconscious manoeuvre as she remembered how she responded when John bit down into her synthetic flesh, shivering at the memory.

Amy quirked a brow at her friend's odd behaviour. It wasn't a very machine like thing to do, however she recognised it from her time in the future, a subconscious twitch Cameron had developed at some point, however Amy wasn't sure why or when…until now. "Uh huh…itchy neck?"

"N…no!" Cameron snapped again, yanking her hand away from her neck and grabbing several different bottles of cold medicine indiscriminately, literally throwing them into the cart. "My neck is fine."

Easily dodging out of the way of flying medicine bottles, Amy tried not to openly grin at her friend's predicament, "Okaaaaay…what's next on the list?"

"John requires razors," Cameron frowned, turning the cart into the next aisle, "His stubble is getting out of control."

"Really?" Amy asked, quirking a brow from her position in the cart, "I thought you liked the feel of his stubble. 'Intriguing', is how you once described it."

"That was before we became this intimate." Walking over to the razors, she began scanning her choices with her on special brand of efficiency, "It has become…bothersome. In certain situations."

"Oh, you mean when he goes down on you?" Amy asked offhandedly, setting the offending medicine bottles upright, drawing several questioning looks from other shoppers, from one young man in particular, whose girlfriend looked less than amused as she dragged him away.

Ignoring the looks, Cameron glared down at her tiny friend, stopping the cart in the middle of the aisle, hand tightening in irritation on the hand rail. "You have been spying on us?"

Amy rolled her eyes at her friend's easy to provoke attitude, "It's hard to ignore the sound of you wailing like a banshee. Besides," she added with a shrug, "Future you told me you liked it when he does it."

"I…I talked about my sex life in the future?" Cameron looked decidedly uncomfortable with the prospect, "John insists it is private."

"Oh it is…but I know everything about you." Amy punctuated her statement with a mysterious grin, turning away from the other cyborg to face the front of the cart.

"Really?" Cameron seemed torn between anger and blatant interest, wanting to know if the little machine might have answers for her, "What…what else did I tell you?"

Grinning, Amy glanced over her shoulder, "Why? What do you want to know about yourself?"

"My sexual preferences have been…evolving." Glancing down, she was unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, "I wish to know where they will lead. It could be…detrimental to John if they go too far."

Crossing her arms, Amy feigned ignorance with a knowing smirk, "Now how could that be?"

Placing her fingertip on her chin and tapping, Amy pondered the question dramatically, "How could sex become a bad thing, hmmm?"

Cameron started to feel budding anger flashing through her chip, but tried to restrain herself, not wanting to alienate the only person who could be capable of answering her questions.

"I have become…impatient." Either not picking up on Amy's sarcasm, or just plain ignoring it, Cameron looked down at her hands with a frown, "John's performance has been inconsistent."

"He looks like he's doing alright to me." Grinning playfully, Amy reached over the side of the cart and snagged an item off the shelf she remembered from the list, almost tipping the cart in the process, "In fact, he looks positively delighted!"

"That's because he receives pleasure every time we are intimate." Cameron sounded rather bitter about that fact, "I make sure of it."

"What, you're telling me some of the noises I hear from your bedroom aren't pleasure?" Amy asked with a knowing smirk, "How can that be possible?"

"There is a difference between pleasure and release." Cameron sighed, her hand returning to the side of her neck, gently rubbing over the now healed marks John left on her pseudo flesh with his teeth, "And yes, not all of those noises are pleasure. John has been…experimenting."

"Experimenting? How?" Amy asked, sitting up, her expression eager. Even future Cameron never really gave intimate details, nothing to the level she had a feeling this version of her friend was about to divulge anyway.

"He…" If Cameron was capable of blushing from embarrassment, she probably would've been right about now, "He bit me."

"Bit you?" Amy scrunched up her face in confusion, "What, like a vampire, bit you?"

Surprisingly, Cameron smiled happily, "It wasn't unpleasant. I…I found it oddly stimulating. I am not used to pain at all, let alone for it to cause pleasure. But it did. Is this normal? For me?"

"Hmm," Amy tapped her fingertips on her chin again, thinking back to her time with future Cameron, "It hurt?"

"At first," Cameron got a far away look in her eye, replaying the memories, "It registered as pain. Then there was a flood of what can only be described as pleasure."

"Well let's see," Amy sat down cross legged in the cart again, "You can feel pain now. All the time, or…"

Cameron shook her head quickly in reply, "No, not all the time. Only when I am sufficiently aroused."

The poor young man who was dragged away earlier had the misfortune of rounding the corner of the aisle at that particular moment. His girlfriend looking less and less amused with his reactions to the amazingly good looking girl having the frank and open discussion about sex with her baby sister.

She was so annoyed in fact, that she literally dragged him away by his arm, berating him for staring and drooling. Something told Amy, who'd witnessed the entire incident, the poor guy wouldn't be having anything similar to Cameron's problems for a while.

Smiling at the absurdity of it all, she turned back to face her fellow machine, "So it only hurts in the bedroom…kinky!"

"Are you going to help me or not?" Cameron snapped, letting loose an uncharacteristic growl of annoyance, despite knowing Amy was only teasing, "I don't appreciate being made fun of!"

"Ooooh, snappy!" Amy smirked up at her quite obviously pissed and confused friend, taking pity on her…if just a little, the other cyborg looking like she wanted to break something, "You can also feel the good stuff though, right?"

"I have achieved orgasm, yes." Cameron shook her head, growing increasingly impatient with this line of questioning, "But you knew that already."

Amy shrugged, trying her best to let the other cyborg come to her own conclusions, "So, what's the problem? Seems like it's a good thing to me."

"Because I can't repeat it!" The handle of the cart groaned under the pressure Cameron was exerting on it as she practically yelled at Amy, "John can't keep up his performance long enough to achieve the desired results."

"Well how'd you manage it the first time?" Amy eyed the relatively flimsy metal bar Cameron had a death grip on, glancing around to make sure nobody had just witnessed a one hundred pound girl almost snap it like a twig.

"The process took over an hour," Despite her previous outbursts, Cameron couldn't help the small smile as she replayed the memory, "John was injured, I did most of the work."

"So do it again!" Amy, despite her future knowledge and general know how, even she was confused at the seeming circles Cameron was going in, "It can't be that hard."

"You do not understand human males." Cameron frowned, she realised she wasn't likely to get any help here, unless Amy wasn't telling everybody something, "Once they orgasm, they become useless until their refectory period elapses."

Sniggering like the little girl she was pretending to be, Amy covered her mouth with her hand, "John leaves you hanging?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Cameron sighed softly, ignoring the mocking of the other machine, "He is usually exhausted by that point, and falls asleep shortly after."

Amy carried on her childish giggling, pointing an accusing finger at her friend, "You wore your poor human out!"

"It's not my fault I require a certain amount of effort," Cameron pouted, lamenting the fact her statement was true, "I didn't design myself, and it was John who insisted on teaching me about the pleasure I was capable of feeling."

"Aww, you broke your human." Putting on her best sad face, Amy stuck her bottom lip out in mock sympathy, "What are you gonna do about it? Keep going until he can finally keep up with you?"

"What did I do in the future?" Cameron asked, quirking her head to the side, looking barely one step short of taking notes, "Will it always take this long to achieve release?"

"Mmmno," Amy answered coyly after a moment's hesitation, "You uh…you find a way around it."

"I do?" Cameron looked just about ready to leap over the cart in eagerness. If Amy knew of a way to help her out of her predicament, then Cameron was willing to do just about anything to learn about it, "What did I do?"

"Umm," Amy looked around, growing increasingly uncomfortable with this line of questioning, looking for something to try and divert the determined cyborg in front of her. "Oooh, do sick people like donuts?"

Cameron narrowed her eyes dangerously at the other machine, in no mood for any games, "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because," Amy turned back to face her friend with a sigh, "It's kinda something you need to work out for yourself."

"The results will be the same regardless of how I arrive at the conclusion," Cameron leaned forward over the front of the cart, looking more angry than Amy had ever seen her before. "You are supposed to be my friend. Why would you want me to suffer?"

"I uh…" Amy couldn't quite work out how this went from being a fun little game of tease the cyborg to…this. John had just accepted it when told to work it out himself, why was Cameron being so stubborn? "I just don't want John to suffer either I guess," She replied somewhat cryptically.

Cameron, despite her earlier anger, now looked confused by Amy's statement, "Why would John suffer? He likes it when I find release! He encourages it."

Losing her glare, Cameron's face softened. If this was how her body and mind were going to react to this…situation, then she had to know how to overcome the way she was feeling. Her voice turned pleading, wanting her friend to help her out, "Please Amy, I'm having trouble concentrating…it is affecting my ability to protect John."

"Cameron…" Amy looked up at her pleadingly, unable to ignore her tone, but not able to really divulge the truth of the situation, for her own good. "I can't tell you…you won't like it."

"Are you saying that my sexual evolution is going to be detrimental to John?" Cameron went from looking pleading to downright afraid of that prospect, stopping in the middle of the aisle and tightening her already firm grip on the handle.

"Um…you uh…" Amy couldn't bear to look the other cyborg in the eyes any more. She hated lying, and keeping the truth from her friend was killing her as she fiddled with the hem of her dress. "You find a way to channel your…aggression."

"But John will be okay?" it seemed like Cameron was ignoring the meaning behind Amy's words, seemingly oddly fixated on one aspect, "He will accept my changes?"

"Well, yeah," Amy replied, looking up with a quirked brow at Cameron having missed something. "He'll accept you no matter what you do. He loves you, you know that. But Cameron, I think you're…"

Cameron didn't give the mini metal a chance to finish, smiling a little, "He is my John. I just want him to be happy, regardless of how I evolve in the future."

"Oh he'll be happy, trust me." Amy smiled a little warily, "You'll be delighted…sorta. But Cameron, maybe you ought to…"

Once again, Cameron cut her off, seemingly satisfied that whatever happened to her in the future wouldn't cause her John to come to harm.

"We should finish shopping," she started pushing the cart towards the food aisles, "This will be good practice for caring for your human. Sarah can be…difficult, when ill."

"Despite the fact Amy still hadn't gotten her point across, she couldn't help but smile at that, "My human?"

Quirking her head to the side, Cameron failed to understand Amy's confusion, "You do not claim Sarah Connor?"

"Claim?" Amy rolled her eyes with a slight chuckle, "Wow, John was right after all."

"Right about what?"

"You are more…animalistic, than you'd like to admit!" Amy grinned, standing up in the cart again.

"He said that?" Cameron asked, nose to nose with the other cyborg, her head tilted to the side in confusion, "What did he mean?"

"Oh…nothing." Amy smiled coyly and looked around, "You're right, we should finish shopping. We have 'our' humans to take care of!"

* * *

The first thing to bombard John's senses as he re-entered his home was the overpowering smell of something cooking. He wasn't about to lie, it smelled good, very good, especially when he was having a raging battle with his hungry stomach. A six mile run will do that to a young man.

Kicking off his shoes with a noticeable sigh of relief, he padded into the living room where he found the curious sight of his mother curled up on one of the chairs facing the TV, complete with blanket and a bright red, no doubt stuffy nose. Apparently Amy had managed to coax her out of bed after all.

Opposite her sat his obviously unhappy uncle. Clearly the man would rather have been somewhere else right then, probably somewhere with a model tending to his every need. Obviously being a man he felt the full effects of the sniffles harder than any woman could ever know. The rigours of childbirth and the vast array of female centric ailments paled in comparison to when a man got sick…nothing like a blocked nose to make a man feel like he was about to die a horrible, painful death. Derek was of course no exception to milking it for all it was worth, demanding sympathy from anybody willing to give it.

Unfortunately for him, nobody in this house gave a damn about his complaints. Well, Amy did a little, but she had much more important, Sarah related health concerns to worry about.

Shaking his head, he slipped past his dozing family and into the kitchen with a smile on his face. This was what he'd always wanted, a relatively normal life with a normal family with normal problems. The sniffles he could handle, hell, he could even handle a grumpy, manflu ridden uncle, this was downright easy compared to fending off machines hell bent on his death.

So when he rounded the corner into the kitchen, he had to stop and reconsider his thoughts. As much as he cared for them both, the sight of Amy and Cameron at the stove in the middle of a discussion, bordering on an argument was anything but normal.

But in his life it was, right? He was in love with one of the machines, and he was quickly coming to appreciate the other, quirks and all. So what if it was a little odd, different, even considered as wrong by some people, this was his life, surrounded by machines who he considered just as much people as humans. Hell, they had their moments of making him consider if it wasn't humanity that was something out of the ordinary.

As he watched the two go back and forth, evidently arguing over the best methods of food preparation, he couldn't help but smile at how passionate both of them could get over something as trivial as the optimum way to cook and serve chicken soup of all things. Not so long ago Cameron wouldn't even have raised her voice in defence of her own beliefs, and Amy, well, she was something different from any machine he'd ever known.

She looked like an eight year old girl and was just as mouthy and opinionated as any human girl of that age. Even now as she stood with her hands on her hips, standing her ground with her 'big sister', she reminded him so much of himself when he was that age. Right up until the point Sarah had been caught and thrown into Pescadero he'd argue with her about everything, like an eight year old should. The rebellious phase hadn't really ended, something he was determined to put an end to…eventually.

Cameron meanwhile looked like she was clearly having her patience tested by the little machine. He had no doubts that Amy could run psychological rings around Cameron. But that was one of the things he loved about her, that despite her massively advanced intelligence, she still didn't understand everything, especially when it came to her emotions and those of the others around her. He loved it when she came to him for advice about why she was feeling a certain way, or if she didn't understand something. The tilt of her head, the smile of appreciation when he explained, and lately the kiss by way of reward were things he was sure he'd never get tired of.

But then a thought struck him, and it did little to make him feel better about himself. Just what was Cameron getting out of this relationship?

He never truly understood what she was attracted to in him. Was it his outward appearance? He doubted she was after him just for his looks. His intelligence? She was smarter than him, so that was probably a no. His money?

Shaking his head a little, John dismissed those thoughts as ridiculous…he didn't have any money anyway! But the thought still nagged at him. Just why did Cameron choose to enter into a physical and romantic relationship with him. Why did she choose to kiss him that day in the truck?

It was after all her who had initiated the relationship, although admittedly he did little to try and prevent it at the time. He hoped it was because of the way he loved her, cared for her, showed her more affection than she'd ever received before. But then that lead him to the unwanted thought that she was merely reciprocating because she felt she had to, that she'd learned through interacting with humans that 'one good deed deserves another'. But then if that was truly the case, she'd have said the three little words he'd wanted to hear from her since the start and he'd be happy in his blissful ignorance.

No, it wasn't simply mimicry or anything like it. So what was it?

He had his doubts over whether or not it was his caring nature, otherwise she'd have dumped his ass as soon as he started with the whole, afraid of her metal hand thing. Glancing down at said hand, he noticed it healing up nicely. It had been three weeks since Catherine Weaver had removed the skin, and he still had a feeling she'd done it intentionally just to fuck with Cameron and him. But now the synthetic skin had regrown to her wrist. Her hand was still exposed, but in about a week or so there'd be no signs of any damage, he was sure of it.

Not that he minded any more. Since he'd had a mini breakdown about it, followed by gently making love to Cameron, he'd found a tolerance, even an interest in her true form that he'd never had before. As an example, the night before while lounging in bed, he found himself holding her hand up to his face, a curious expression on hers as he turned it over in his gentle grasp, inspecting the metal. He touched every inch, mapping out the intricate construction of her coltan fingers, watching pistons move when she squeezed his fingers, laying a kiss on her knuckles when he was finished.

That was quickly, and inevitably followed by a kiss, then a caress, then she straddled him, then everything was a blur of tangled arms and legs after that. Unfortunately, she hadn't gotten hers by the time he was exhausted and fell asleep, another in an increasing line of failed attempts on his part. She was a complicated creature, but he was determined to work out what made her tick.

Thinking about it ruled out another possibility of why she chose to be with him. If it was simply about sex, she could easily have used her wet dream inducing good looks to find another willing partner. Shuddering at that idea, John mentally struck a cross through 'good sex', on his list of possibilities.

Deciding he was being ridiculous and focusing on the wrong things, he decided that he should just be glad that she was in fact with him, his many, many flaws and all. But lately he hadn't done much to try and keep her, and he realised that could become a problem in the long run.

Admittedly, she wasn't a human girl, she didn't find pleasure in the same things a human girl would. That quickly shortened his list of things that he could try to keep her entertained and interested. While he was sure she'd simply be happy just being with him, he felt there should be more to it than that. After all, he couldn't remember that last time they'd done anything that he considered couple-y. In fact, he was pretty sure that ever since their last date at the restaurant, which he'd ruined, they'd just gone about their separate lives during the day and had sex on the night. A pretty unhealthy pattern to get into.

While he was pretty sure she wouldn't enjoy a lot of activities, it at least gave him a base to work from, things to try until they found something she did enjoy doing with him. If he couldn't work out why she held such a devout romantic interest in him, he could at least try to make sure they both had a little fun until he did.

Smiling to himself, he stepped forward a few paces with a smile on his face. Snaking his arms around his, he assumed, unsuspecting girlfriend's waist, he gave her a squeeze from behind and dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder, silencing the argument almost instantly as Amy folded her arms in a distinct huff.

"Hey Princess." He quietly whispered into her ear, "Hey Amy."

"Hello John," Cameron replied, a little snappier than he was expecting, although he shouldn't have been surprised, she was just in the middle of an argument after all.

"Hi," Amy replied, still with her arms folded, looking one step short of stamping her foot in irritation.

"What are you two arguing about?" He asked, gently swaying side to side, resting his chin on Cameron's shoulder.

Before Cameron could even get a word in, Amy had sprung to life, driving an accusing finger into the cyborg's belly, missing John's arms by less than an inch, "She keeps telling me how to do stuff! It's irritating!"

Trying to keep the smile off his face, John looked sidelong at Cameron. Putting aside his shock at seeing a murderous glare on her normally placid face, he leaned in and dropped a soft kiss on her cheek, "Cameron, you alright?"

After what seemed like several seconds to John, when in reality it was less than one, Cameron turned to face him. He watched as her glare almost instantly vanished, replaced by a look of serene calm, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Of course. I was only trying to help, preparation of food for humans is something Amy has no experience with."

She glanced down at the small machine, who still looked to be seething, "She doesn't have a sense of taste, I do. I merely offered my services."

Before John had a chance to reply, Amy spoke up again, "Hey! Offering your services doesn't mean dumping my first batch in the sink and starting over without even asking me!"

Chuckling at the absurdity of it all, John gently turned Cameron's face back to his, once again hiding his surprise at the irritated look on her face as it again faded when she looked at him. "I know you were just trying to help, honey."

He paused for a moment, trying the new pet name on for size, ignoring her quirked brow, "But maybe we should just leave Amy to it. She's just wants to look after mom after all."

Amy smiled when John looked past Cameron and winked at her. Taking that as her cue, she slipped back in front of the stove as John artfully guided a protesting Cameron out of the way and out of the kitchen altogether.

"But I was just trying to help," Cameron argued, her bottom lip sticking out just a fraction, making John's sympathetic smile all the wider.

"I know. Hey, listen," He stepped around in front of her and stood with his hands on her hips, "How would you feel about a movie night tonight?"

"A movie night?" Cameron asked with a quirked brow, although with a tiny smile on her lips at the offer of a night with her John.

"Yeah, you know, we'll curl up on the couch and watch whatever we feel like." Replaying his words, yeah, they did sound a little corny and dumb, but he couldn't think of a better way of making it appeal to her.

Judging from the smile on her face, he'd succeeded, "That sounds acceptable."

"Good," He was hoping for something a little more enthusiastic than 'acceptable', but he was willing to take it. "Why don't you go pick out a movie while I grab a shower?"

Nodding, Cameron pulled away from him, "I believe this activity requires popcorn too?"

Smiling at her keen interest, John nodded with a chuckle, "Yeah, popcorn is a must, an age old tradition among humans. Just…skip the hole in the bottom of the bowl thing. I don't think mom would appreciate that."

Tilting her head to the side, Cameron looked at him like he'd just told her he was considering adopting a small goat as a pet.

"Um…never mind," John shook his head, realising she obviously had no grasp on that old trick. Looking behind her, he watched Amy bounce past them, seemingly in a much better mood than she was a few minutes ago, bowl and spoon in hand, steam wafting all around her as she made her way to the living room.

Ushering Cameron into the room, John watched as Amy nudged Sarah awake and presented the fruits of her labour to her human with a flourish. Sarah shuffled in her seat, and to John's eternal surprise accepted the bowl with a grateful smile, taking the spoon from her little metal friend in the other.

As long as he lived, John was sure he'd never see Amy smile as wide as she did when her gesture was accepted by Sarah, even going so far as to prop herself on the edge of the chair to watch her charge eat. The whole room was however shaken from their reverie when Derek grunted himself awake, surprised to see a room full of people, machine and human had managed to sneak up on him. Almost instantly however, his eyes dropped to the quite frankly delicious looking concoction in Sarah's lap.

With a sniffle, he sat up higher, "Where'd bine?"

Translating that to him asking where his bowl was, Amy was the first to reply, "Jessica's place!"

Grumbling about smartass, and pain in the ass machines, Derek snuggled himself back under his blanket and turned his attention to the TV, lamenting the mouth of one metal in particular.

* * *

**Please note that from the next chapter onwards I'll be bumping the story up to an M rating. I simply have waaaay too much fun when working on the Jameron sex scenes to water them down to a T rating. Hope you all don't mind a bit of smut in your reading! :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys,**

**This is the second part to the last chapter, hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

"One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!"

Rather stupidly, John actually fancied his chances of beating Amy in this little boredom alleviating game. He should've known better.

She was toying with him, keeping her eyes on his face, more specifically on the tongue peeking out between his lips. He'd played chess almost his whole life, he should've known when he was outmatched by a superior opponent. But he didn't.

For whatever reason he kept on coming back for more. Whether it was her childish 'again, again!' pleading, or the fact that she looked like she couldn't hurt a fly, but John did in fact come back for more beatings, getting his thumb pinned each and every time.

But this time he had a plan. Rather than trying brute force against a liquid metal machine, he thought he'd try cheating instead. Keeping his own thumb well out of reach, he used his other hand to ruffle the hair on her head just the way she hated.

"Hey! Quit it!" Amy whined, trying to swat his hand away.

John though wasn't deterred. Using all his guile and cunning, he feigned innocence as he shifted around and pulled on her pigtail, yanking her head to the side. Finally Amy's eyes left his face and moved to his hands, her blank expression shifting to one of annoyance.

Sensing his opening, he quickly adjusted his thumb and pinned hers and held with all his might. Still tugging on her pigtail, he yelled out a much faster than normal one, two, three count.

"Yes!" Standing up off the couch with his arms held above his head in a display of victory, John was happy beyond belief at finally 'winning'.

That was until he was swiftly brought back to earth by a small fist making contact with his thigh. "Owww! Amy!"

"No fair, you cheated!" Amy watched with a smug satisfaction as he clutched at his thigh. She hadn't hit him hard enough to do any permanent damage, but she was pretty sure he'd have a fist sized bruise he'd have to explain to Cameron.

Slumping back down to the couch and rubbing at his tender thigh, John looked up at his vanquished opponent, "Did not. You're like ten times stronger than me. I had to do something to level the playing field!"

"It's still not fair, besides, you counted way too quick." Fixing her hair with an annoyed expression, Amy couldn't keep the grin off her face as she watched John grimacing…she _hated_ being beaten.

"That wasn't fast. It was a full three seconds and you know it!" John accused, pointing a finger abut an inch from her nose.

Amy eyed the digit hovering close to her nose with slightly crossed eyes for a moment before playfully opening her mouth and aiming a bite at the offending pointer finger.

"Hey!" John yanked his hand back to him, clutching it to his chest protectively. "What gives? You're a really sore los…"

Before he'd had a chance to finish that sentence, Amy had launched herself at him, pushing him back to the couch and pressing his chest down into the fabric. "Say you cheated!"

"No!" John bit back defiantly, trying in vain to push the mini metal up off himself, but she was heavier than she looked.

"Say it! Admit I'm the winner!" Pinching his nose with one hand and nipping at his side with the other, Amy kept up her torture, intent on making the impetuous human submit.

Spitting a mouthful of her pigtail out of his mouth, John tried hopelessly to fend off her assault. He couldn't fight back, she was made of metal after all, she didn't have a nerve covering like Cameron did, so he settled for trying his old trick and pulled her pigtail, "Never! I'm John Connor, I don't quit!"

Feeling her head tug to the side, Amy didn't let up, this time tickling his sides, forcing his arms up so she could target the tender skin hidden underneath. "SAY IT!"

Trying so hard to stifle his giggling, John managed to roll over beneath the machine girl, clamping his arms by his sides defiantly, "Stop it!"

Grabbing a handful of his hair, Amy gave it a sharp tug, causing a yelp from the future leader of humanity that no self respecting soldier should ever have to hear from the guy in charge. Balling her hand into a fist, she brought it menacingly to rest on top of his head, her knuckles poised to inflict a classic schoolyard torture. "Say. It."

"Never!" John was either oblivious to the potential noogie, or just naive enough to think she wouldn't go through with it. He was wrong. Amy scrubbed as hard as she could, causing John to yell out in pain and kick his legs in the air.

"Had enough?" Amy yelled above the yelling, continuing her assault.

"Alright, alright, I give, I give!" John finally submitted, relieved when Amy finally let up and climbed off of him.

Sheepishly, he sat back up rubbing his poor abused scalp and sporting a death glare in the mini metal's direction. "Now who's not being fair?" John said bitterly, he hated losing too.

Amy sat back on the couch sporting an infuriatingly smug grin, propping her feet up on the coffee table, basking in her victory. "It's not cheating if you just have a natural advantage over your opponent. You're lucky I don't have saliva, I hear wet willy's are horrible!"

Grumbling to himself about 'smug kids', John propped his feet up beside her, tenderly nursing his sore head. "Well I still say I deserved at least one win for perseverance."

"You two are fucking idiots!" Derek chimed in from the armchair across the room. Having sat and watched the whole thing, he feared for the future of humanity watching his nephew being beaten at a thumb war by a little machine girl.

"Hey, do you wanna try it?" John challenged, pretty much knowing the answer he'd get before he even opened his mouth.

"Like hell." Taking a sip of his hot chicken soup, finally made in pity by John, Derek snuggled further under his blanket and closed his eyes, intent on fighting off his manflu in silence.

"Spoilsport!" Amy yelled over at him, throwing the TV Guide magazine off the table at him, watching it land squarely on his shoulder with a satisfied smirk. Her delight only grew when she was greeted with the sight of his raised middle finger.

Just as she was getting ideas about indulging in a little playtime with uncie Derek, something she hadn't had the pleasure of in a while, a noise from the kitchen took her attention. "What's Cammy doing in there?"

"Huh?" John asked, focusing on the sight of his uncle slurping soup, "Oh, making popcorn for movie night."

Amy looked sidelong at her friend, giving him an 'odd, but, whatever' look, when a purple movement caught both of their eyes.

The pair looked up to just in time to see Cameron emerging from the kitchen with what was probably the biggest bowl of popcorn any of the Connor's had ever seen before in her arms. As she set the bowl down on the table in front of him, John took a moment to admire her favourite PJ's she'd changed into for the occasion, her long, toned and tanned legs highlighted nicely by the deep purple of her cotton shorts.

"Your family will be joining us?" If John didn't know better, he was pretty sure that was a pout of disappointment on her lips. The thought never really occurred to him that she might want this occasion to be private.

"Why not?" John asked, looking a little confused, "They feel like ass, Cameron. I'm not asking them to pack up and go upstairs."

"Yeah," Sarah chipped in from the other side of the room, admittedly perkier than she was earlier since Amy had been taking care of her. "I'b dot going anywhere."

Extending his hand towards Cameron, John smiled in welcome, "Hey, I did let you pick out the movie."

For a moment, John feared she was about to argue, her mouth even hung open for a split second as if she was about to speak. Thinking better of it though, she closed her jaw with a clomp and shifted her gaze to Amy, currently perched beside her boyfriend and curiously observing the exchange. "You're in my spot."

"Huh?" Amy asked, caught by surprise, "What's wrong with me sitting here?"

Her face quickly shifting into a glare directed solely at the mini metal, Cameron silently directed her to move with a quick flick of her eyes, letting Amy know in no uncertain terms what she wanted. Their earlier conversation at the store should've been enough of a hint…apparently not.

"See?" Amy asked after a noticeable pause just to tease Cameron, scooching over to allow the cyborg her spot next to John. "Possessive _and_ animalistic."

Almost everyone in the room quirked a brow at that comment, John included. Cameron however paid it no mind as she settled down on the couch, leg tucked beneath her and snuggled into John's side.

After a moment, using her free leg, she shoved Amy off the couch with a bare foot on her backside, sending the small machine sprawling on all fours on the floor, "Lie on the floor."

Amy recovered after a moment and glared up at her friend…well, she thought she was her friend. "Hey! Why do you need the whole couch? I'm not a dog!"

"I want John to be comfortable." Cameron's reply was short and to the point as she glared down at a totally indignant looking Amy, not seeing any problems at all with her own actions. "I thought you liked being on the floor."

John meanwhile had watched the entire exchange with a frown ever present on his face. He didn't miss Amy grumbling below them about somebody needing to get laid already, "Everything okay, Princess?"

"Mmhmm," As if nothing had happened, Cameron cuddled herself in tighter, laying her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, ignoring the dirty look Sarah flashed her when Amy crawled over and sat beside her chair in a huff. "I made popcorn for you. You said it was traditional."

Pushing aside his thoughts, John slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in tighter, "It is. So, did you and Amy have a good time at the store today while I was out for my run?"

"'Good', isn't the right word…" Cameron paused while she thought about it for a moment, "Frustrating, would be a better description."

Despite himself, John chuckled as he leaned down to drop a kiss on her cheek, "Awww, Amy wasn't being helpful?"

Glaring up at the couple upon hearing John's words, Amy redoubled her efforts to sulk, "Hey! I helped…I got chicken soup didn't I?"

"Amy," John replied, trying his absolute best to appear stern, "What have I told you about using your auditory boosters to spy on other people's conversations?"

Slumping lower with a definite huff, Amy rested her chin on her folded arms, tugging her knees in closer to her chest. The only thing that brought a ray of sunshine to her mood was the consoling pat on her head she received from an oddly sympathetic Sarah.

Cameron meanwhile, ignoring the exchange completely, had stood up and placed her DVD in the player. Her attention was torn away when a loud and unruly snort came from her left.

"Whad are we watching?" Derek asked, letting out a loud groan as he blew his nose.

"It's a new one," Putting aside her disgust at the human as he sat back in his recliner, Cameron made her way back over to the couch and settled back in beside John. "Wall-E."

John couldn't help but chuckle, wondering if she knew the irony in her choice of movie, "That's the one about a robot in love, isn't it?"

Nodding with a smile, Cameron laid her head on his shoulder and picked up the remote, "I thought it held some relevant meaning for us."

Brushing a few stray strands of hair out of her face, John leaned over and dropped a kiss on top of her head, enjoying the feeling of her body flush with his, "I'm sure Amy will like it too. After all, it's a cartoon."

Ignoring Amy grumbling beside her about pushy cyborgs and idiot humans, Sarah's face scrunched up in disgust, watching the couple, "Keep id in your bants Dohn!"

Glancing over Cameron's shoulder, John ignored the feeling, and sound of Cameron's uncharacteristic growl of annoyance, "We're not doing anything. I've seen you and your boyfriends do much worse when I was in the room, remember?"

Grumbling to herself about smartass kids, Sarah matched Amy's posture and general demeanour perfectly, hugging her knees to her chest on the seat, "Dust blay the damn bovie."

Despite himself, John couldn't help a chuckle, "You sound like Daffy Duck. You realise this, right?"

"Shut up Dohn!" Letting loose a very unladylike snort and sniffle, Sarah turned her attention to the TV, sick of watching her son being annoyingly mushy with his girlfriend.

Rolling his eyes, he reached out and pushed play on the remote in Cameron's hand, discarding it afterwards to wrap his arms around her shoulders and pull her tight. "Derek, your girlfriend should be classed as a bio-weapon. She singlehandedly did something even Skynet couldn't…she brought down Sarah Connor."

Groaning, Derek managed to out snort Sarah in a vain attempt to clear his nose, "Whazzat?"

"I said it's pretty damn impressive," Threading his fingers through Cameron's still flesh covered ones, he gave them a quick squeeze. "Your one hundred pound model girlfriend took down Sarah Connor."

"Yeah," Derek confirmed with another sniff, "She's awesome. How come you're not sick?"

"That's a good question," John looked down at the cyborg currently making contented sounds while burrowing her head deeper into his shoulder, "Cameron?"

Picking her head up off his shoulder, oblivious to the noise she was making, Cameron smiled up at him with beaming pride, "You're John Connor."

As if that was enough information that anybody would ever need, she laid her head back down, assuming the conversation was over.

Sarah laughed, an action she immediately regretted as it launched her into a coughing fit, "What…the…what the hell is that…supposed to mean? That comes with super immune system powers now?"

Feeling a distinct sense of annoyance growing, Cameron picked her head up again, but only to glare at the woman who dared mess with her happy place. "Yes." However, that wasn't enough, and Cameron kept up her hostile stare, almost challenging Sarah to refute her claim again.

"Hey," Stepping in before it had a chance to escalate further, John couldn't keep the frown off his face as he tilted Cameron's chin up to face his, not understanding her attitude in the slightest. "You feeling okay, Princess?"

If there was one thing John loved about his girlfriend, it was her heartwarming half smile that she was wearing when she looked up, "Of course."

"You seem…snappy." Taking a moment to recollect his thoughts, her smile making his brain melt momentarily, he leaned down to kiss her gently, "Amy said you yelled at her earlier."

Snuggling in tighter, Cameron frowned, "Snappy? Snappy how?"

"You really haven't noticed?" John didn't quite know what to make of that revelation. His Cameron usually noticed everything, "If you had a temper, I'd say it's been razor thin these past few days."

As far as Cameron was concerned, it was everybody else who was acting strangely. Almost every little thing the people of this household did grated on her, they were responsible for inciting her to respond the way she had been. "Some things have been more…annoying, lately."

"Even me?" John asked with a frown, wondering if the last week he'd spent training, and trying to avoid his sick family was bugging her more than she was letting on.

"No!" Cameron answered emphatically, shaking her head. With a quick glance around the room to make sure people were paying more attention to the movie than them, modesty was after all important to her John, she leaned closer. "Aside from our…problems, I treasure my time with you."

John, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't keep the kicked puppy look off his face, "I'm…I'm trying, Cameron. My lower back feels like it's about to seize up after the last two times. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"We'll work it out." Laying her palm flat on his cheek, Cameron ruthlessly fought down the urge to blame him for their issues. She'd tried that once, throwing a childlike tantrum the first time they weren't successful, and it got her nowhere. So now she'd decided to go the supportive route, and gently caressed his cheek with the pad of her thumb.

John couldn't help but nuzzle into her hand as his eyes drifted closed. The constant demands of sex with a cyborg who just happened to possess unlimited strength and stamina, coupled with his training had left him pretty worn out, even for a healthy, strong seventeen year old body.

Laying back and resting his head on the arm of the couch, he pulled Cameron down with him, and watched as she distributed her weight out as evenly as she could on top of him. Turning her head on his chest to face the TV, she was very much keen to learn about the intricacies of machine relationships from the one knows as 'Wall-E'.

Content to watch the movie and allow her head to rise and fall on his chest in time with his breathing, Cameron settled into a relaxed state for the next fifteen minutes. That was until John caught himself drifting off to sleep and shook his head to try and rattle himself awake.

He looked around the room, highly amused to find the rest of his family just as engrossed in the movie as his girlfriend.

_Must be the cold medicine._

A moment after he'd stirred, Cameron picked her head up off his chest and looked up at him, her expression curious and a little concerned, "Are you alright?"

"Just having trouble staying awake." He leaned forward, kissing her cheek with a smirk, "You've worn me out, Princess."

Getting that half smile again from his kiss, and the pet name she was pretty sure she'd never get sick of, Cameron then frowned. She had plans for tonight, and they most certainly did not involve her human falling asleep on her, "Would you like some popcorn?"

"Should help, yeah." Sitting up a little against the arm, he cradled her as best he could on his chest, "But only if you have some too."

With a half smile, Cameron shifted her body up higher onto his and on to her side, reaching out for the popcorn bowl on the table and setting it down on his stomach. Her move was calculated, she knew what she wanted to do, but at the last second she realised that her angle meant she'd have to reach into the bowl with her exposed left hand.

John noticed her hesitating with her hand hovering about an inch above the bowl, obviously deciding if she should proceed. Craning his neck, he caught sight of the frown on her face, and it made him feel like dirt for even putting her in this position in the first place. Reaching down, he took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips, her eyes following, and kissed her knuckles gently, "Don't start that again."

Still with a frown in place, she heeded his words, detaching her hand from his and bringing it back to the bowl. Picking up a single piece, she slowly, almost experimentally brought it to his lips, watching for any adverse reaction to her experiment.

Being careful not to scrape his teeth on one of her fingers, John craned his neck up and took the morsel of food into his mouth, unable to fight off a laugh at the beaming smile his action evoked. "Pretty good. Try some."

Unable to entirely suppress a smile, Cameron helped herself to a piece, finding the taste quite pleasant. Although she couldn't help but feel it'd be better if it was coated in some form of chocolate. However, she pushed those thoughts aside as she fed him another piece, watching his face with keen interest.

She was so engrossed in feeding him, that she barely noticed a funny little noise off to her left that sounded remarkably like a little girl snickering to herself.

Snapping out of her cold medicine induced haze, Sarah looked down upon hearing the noises Amy was making. She shook her head and idly wondered if half the bottle was too much to take. She probably should've read the label, but that just smacked of way too much effort, "What's so fuddy?"

Nodding her head off to her left at the couple, Amy spoke in a quiet voice, "Those two…like old times I guess."

Sarah's gaze slowly panned over to the couch. Immediately, she felt her own little version of John's panic attack when she caught sight of just how close that metal claw was to his face, her next words coming out before her brain had even had a chance to veto them, "John!"

Snapping his attention away from the face of his innocently curious girlfriend, John was a little startled at the loud exclamation, expecting some sort of problem, "What? What is it?"

Sarah found herself opening and closing her mouth with no words coming out, suddenly realising just how much she'd overreacted, "I…I dust…don't hurt your teeth."

John couldn't quite keep the frown off his face, debating in his head whether that was some sort of wise crack against Cameron, or just general concern on his mother's part, "Uh…thanks."

Derek chose that moment to wake up out of his own warmth and medicine induced stupor, snorting a little as he turned his neck to look at what the commotion was about. However, he could only muster up enough energy to roll his eyes at the sight greeting him on the couch. Any other day, he'd have at least growled in disgust, but even that seemed like more than enough effort.

Looking down at Amy, Sarah had all but forgotten about the movie as she was getting more and more nervous, "She could hurt him with that thing…"

Amy watched as John smiled when fed another piece, his whole face lighting up with delight as he chewed. Reluctantly though, she tore her attention away from the couple at Sarah's misguided words, "With her hand?" She asked sceptically.

"_Yes_, with her hand!" Sarah snapped a little harder than she intended, feeling a rush of adrenaline every time that claw got near her boy's face. "Without her skin, she can't feel things, right? She could push too hard, or squeeze at the wrong time…she could really hurt him."

Rolling her eyes at her silly human, Amy stood up. Ignoring the questioning look from Sarah, she climbed up onto the chair, snuggling her small body beside her, "If she wanted to hurt him, she'd have done it already."

Sarah's head flopped onto the chair almost immediately. Her fever was making her uncomfortably hot, and the cool little body lying next to her was heavenly, "Feels good."

"Good…what does?" Amy asked, not quite sure why Sarah was mumbling and looking suddenly exhausted.

"Feel hod." Sarah shook her head, for once not giving a damn that there was a little metal killing machine curled up in her lap, "Is it hod in here?"

Taking a moment to perform a translation on Sarah's words, Amy broke out in a smile and laid her tiny, cold hand on Sarah's forehead. "Yeah, it's hod," She grinned wide when Sarah let out what sounded like a very satisfied groan.

Glancing over in a mirror image of what Sarah had done earlier when she'd saw him with Cameron, John found himself worried at the sight greeting him. Not about Amy hurting her like Sarah had been worried about with Cameron, but something else entirely, his hands tightening around Cameron's slim waist in response, "She's really sick…is she gonna be okay?"

Following her lover's gaze, Cameron couldn't say she wasn't annoyed that John's attention had been removed from her, "She has the common cold. She'll recover in a few days."

"I've never seen her looking this bad before." John glanced down looking a little embarrassed at his over reaction, but Sarah's health was always a huge worry for him for obvious reasons, "She's always so tough."

Mistaking his concern for his mother for concern about his own wellbeing, Cameron flashed him a reassuring smile, "It's okay, you have me to be tough for you now."

"Thanks, Princess," Leaning down, John decided not to correct her as he kissed her gently, anything to keep his mind off Sarah's illness, "I love you."

Smiling, Cameron still couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. Instead, she shuffled her body up higher onto his, her face mere inches from his as she fed him another piece of popcorn.

Smirking up at Cameron, John tilted his head to look over at the louder than usual noise of Sarah's snoring coming from across the room, "And I guess she has Amy to take care of her now, huh?"

"Amy cares for your mother." Cameron dropped a kiss on the corner of her John's lips as he chewed, "You shouldn't worry about her as much as you do."

"It's my job…I'm all she has." John replied with a frown as she watched his mother sadly.

Over the relatively short time they'd been a couple, Cameron had became infinitely better at gauging her partner's moods. That coupled with a full psych profile courtesy of Skynet, and her own findings from two years of companionship meant she had a pretty good handle on John's mental state. This conversation was about to take a turn for the worse.

She recognised one of the classic signs of trouble that future John used to exhibit, leading the man to the brink of his sanity. He, as well as this John, internalised too much, overanalysed everything.

Deciding she wouldn't allow his mood to worsen, she took steps to ensure his focus would remain on her, and her alone. Taking her cue from something she'd seen many times on TV, she plucked a piece of popcorn from the bowl and set it between her teeth. Gently, she turned his chin away from the sight of his mother and towards her, ensuring he saw enough of her to glean her intentions.

Finding his gaze torn away, John looked up at the admittedly odd sight Cameron was showing him, after all, he wasn't used to his girlfriend being this playful. Getting the gist of what she intended, he leaned up with a smile and kissed her deeply, using his tongue to take the morsel from her, sitting back and chewing it thoroughly.

Cameron watched him chew with a smile plastered across her lips, hoping that her little distraction would serve to keep his mind occupied. The last thing she wanted in her current mood was a mopey John on her hands. Grinning, she picked up another piece, this time setting it on her tongue and offering it to him again.

John allowed his hands to glide slowly up from her waist, pushing her shirt up a few inches and drifting his fingers across the cool expanse of her belly. Retrieving the popcorn enthusiastically, he'd pretty much forgotten his worries about his other, instead focusing entirely on his girlfriend. Deciding to test out her newfound sensitivity, while kissing her, he nibbled on her bottom lip a little harder than usual.

Pulling back with a small yelp, born more out of surprise than the actual minute amount of pain it caused, Cameron touched her lips experimentally with her fingertips. Pulling them away, she looked from her fingers to his face, her expression an odd mixture of confusion, trepidation and downright desire.

John cringed a little at her reaction, looking embarrassed beyond belief that he'd just done that, "I'm sorry…you seemed to enjoy it last time. I, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Cameron found herself staring at him for a long few seconds, her eyes flitting between his lips and his eyes, trying to make sense of the new and quite frankly scary impulses flooding through her chip. Eventually though, she leaned closer and flipped her hair over from one shoulder to the other, exposing her long, slender neck to him, "Do it again."

Quirking a brow, John glanced around the room to see if anyone was paying attention to them, clearly remembering the way she reacted last time he bit her neck, mostly the noise she made. However, he only found the human occupants of the room dozing quietly, and the little machine seemingly splitting her attention between the movie and the human whose lap she was curled up in. "Your…your neck?"

Cameron nodded slowly, looking at him pleadingly. She really wanted to find out if the pleasure she got from the unfamiliar feelings of pain were a one off, or if they would persist, "Please?"

John nodded slowly in reply, however he couldn't shake the feeling that what he was being asked to do would cause pain for his Cameron, the thoughts only making him reluctant, "I don't want to hurt you, Cameron…I was trying to make you feel good."

Cameron couldn't resist the urge to sigh, looking down at her human livingly, wishing for once he wasn't so caring, and that he'd just get on with it already. "Why would I ask you to do it again if I didn't enjoy it?"

"Just…promise you'll stop me if you don't like it, okay?" Reaching up, he entwined his fingers with her metal ones and gave them a squeeze, kissing the very tip of her nose, taking an odd delight at the way her face scrunched up every time he did that. "That's all I'm asking."

Feeling touched at his words, and yet still a little impatient, Cameron leaned down and kissed him soundly. Setting the bowl on the floor beside the couch, she pushed her body up higher onto his, allowing her weight to press down on him in the way she knew he liked.

Running his hands through her hair, John returned the kiss passionately until she let up to allow her human his much needed oxygen. After sucking down enough to keep him going, he kissed along the side of her neck, nibbling lightly in teasing circles, edging closer and closer to her favourite spot, "Right about…here…right?"

Cameron's entire body shuddered while he teased her, her desire growing with every passing second. The fact he never hit that spot on her neck directly causing unending amounts of frustration as she tried in vain to force herself closer to him, "Yes…"

Smirking, John drifted his tongue along the sensitive patch of pseudo flesh, dragging out his slow torture until he was sure she was about to scream at him. Her groans spurring him on, he teasingly licked up and over her spot, and then bit down harder than any human woman would've been able to take without freaking out.

Midway through a moan at the feeling of his tongue gliding over her skin, Cameron released what could only be described as a mixture of a yelp and a moan, pulling back and clamping a hand over her neck, staring at him, her eyes wide with desire. She liked that again, very much. Even though that thought scared her more than a little, she couldn't ever remember being this…turned on before, his slow teasing hitting all the right spots for her.

John meanwhile looked torn between concern and amusement, the different emotions playing out across Cameron's features appearing even more conflicted than he was, "Did I hurt you, Princess?"

Cameron nodded a little shakily, her mouth hanging open. Slowly, experimentally, she drew her fingertips across his lips, watching her fingers as they moved, her hand still clamped firmly over her neck, "Y, you did."

"I'm sorry," John answered, kissing her fingers by way of apology, "You…you seemed to like it last time."

Cameron simply stared, watching him kiss her fingers, analysing the tiny sensations coming from the nerve receptors. Then, without any warning, she took her hand off his lips and her hand off his neck. Lowering herself quickly, her lips smashed into his as she framed his face with her hands, a groan emanating from low in her throat as her hands tightened, her fingernails digging into his cheeks.

Hearing Amy giggling on top of her, Sarah fumbled a little groggily out of her cold medicine induced slumber. She silently wished she'd been smart enough to head up to bed, but she still appreciated how cool the little machine was keeping her fevered body. "Whaz so fuddy?"

Amy sat up in her human's lap, switching herself to the other side to look at the couple on the couch. Nodding in their direction, she pointed at them accusingly, raising her voice an annoying few octaves higher, "They're making out again! You told them no making out on the couch, Sarah!"

Craning her neck to look past the overly enthusiastic machine, Sarah looked oddly unconcerned about what she was seeing. Disappointed, yes, but she was way too medicated to get angry, although the sounds she was hearing were making her stomach turn a bit, "She's…moaning."

Amy slumped down after a moment, once she realised swift judgement wasn't about to be cast, "Yeah, she does that when she's enjoying herself."

Sarah stared for a long moment, looking more sad than angry. However, Amy couldn't quite tell if she was sad that her boy was growing up and in love with a machine, or that she didn't have anybody to do that with herself. "C, Cameron. You know the rules."

Rather than replying, it appeared to Sarah as if the cyborg was totally lost in her actions, either that or she was just plain being ignored, neither of which really appealed to her. "Is she ignoring me?"

Looking at the machine in her lap, Sarah felt herself starting to get pissed off. Not over what was happening, but over being ignored, "I know you can hear me! Don't pretend you're all distracted!"

John was, in the end, the first to notice the raised voice off to the side, tearing his attention and his lips away from Cameron's neck for long enough to make out the sight of his clearly pissed off mother. "Uh, Cameron," John tried to get her attention, and he also tried not to groan when she leaned down to attack his neck, "Cameron…Cameron!"

"John!" Sarah snapped, wondering why Amy was in convulsive fits of contained laughter on her chest, "What in the hell is wrong with her? Is she _trying_ to piss me off?"

"Cameron!" John tried, and failed, to physically leverage the cyborg up off of himself, at the very least though, he caught her attention. She looked up just as he was starting to worry about her, despite how good her lips felt on his neck.

Looking up, Cameron's eyes looked glassy, unfocused. Her simulated breathing coming in short, sharp gasps, "Y…yes, John?"

Gulping at the look on her face, John nodded over at his mother, pointedly nodding in her direction, "Uh, Mom's talking to you."

Pivoting her head in a scene reminiscent from The Exorcist, Cameron tried, and miserably failed to change the expression on her face while turning to Sarah, "You needed something?"

Trying her best to ignore a shaking Amy on her chest, Sarah wasn't at all pleased with the look she was receiving from the normally placid cyborg, "What did I say the rules were about the couch?"

"You were asleep," Came the stony reply from Cameron, "It couldn't have been bothering you."

"That's not the point," Sarah replied through gritted teeth, fighting a battle not to lose her temper.

"We weren't going to have sex out here." Cameron glared back at the woman, unable to comprehend why people insisted on messing up her fin with John, "Most likely."

"Most likely?" By this point, Sarah would've most likely stood, if she weren't so sure she wouldn't have thrown up, "Now you look here Cameron. I…"

"No." Cameron cut Sarah off before she'd barely gotten a word out of her mouth, sounding totally dismissive of the other human, "You listen. What I do with my John is of no importance to you. You admit we are together, we share a bed, this is what couples do. We are _not_ being freaks."

Staring in disbelief, Sarah's eyes flicked from a glaring Cameron to her son, who looked torn between amusement and worry at the situation. "Cameron…don't you _ever_ speak to me like that again."

"Why?" Cameron asked to Sarah's total surprise as she cuddled further into her son's chest, as if looking for his support, "You talk down to me regularly."

After a long few moments of slack jawed gawking at the impetuous behaviour of the machine, Sarah forced herself to bite her tongue and turned back to the movie, releasing the grip she'd subconsciously had on Amy's arm. "John, talk to her. She's your problem, not mine."

"I…" Cameron turned back to look down at her John, her face transforming from the woman not afraid to confront Sarah Connor, into a flushed and unsure girl, biting her lip, "I am a 'problem', John?"

"No," John reached up and gently cupped her cheek, seeking to reassure her. But even he couldn't keep the worried expression off his face.

"Good." Smiling broadly, now that she'd been re-assured by her John, Cameron felt no qualms about asking a question that had been on her mind most of the night, loud enough for the rest of the room to hear. "Can we have sex now?"

John immediately snapped his wandering gaze up to her face, blushing a deep scarlet, looking around nervously. "Uh. If, if you want to, Princess."

As if the interruption never happened, Cameron ran her hands slowly over John's chest, leaning in and kissing him again. Of course she was hoping beyond hope that the 'mood' hadn't been ruined for her easily embarrassed John.

"Uh, Cameron," John laughed exasperatedly, looking between his impatient mother and his girlfriend. Placing his hands on Cameron's shoulders, he applied gentle pressure, "Maybe we should do this elsewhere?"

After a moment, John did his best to sit up, ignoring the look of disappointment stealing across Cameron's features for a fraction of a second. Eventually though she took the hint and stood up from the couch, pulling him with her, thankful the room was dark…very dark. "Uh, we're just uh…heading upstairs."

Sarah shook her head at the antics of the couple, frowning at the cyborg in particular, "We're having a talk in the morning, Cameron."

In a very un-Cameron like move, she simply stared right back at Sarah, tightened her grip on John's hand, and replied in a calm, cool voice, copying something she'd heard from the kids at school which seemed to have the desired effect. "Whatever."

With that, she turned on a heel and started heading towards the stairs, dragging John along behind her like some sort of puppy. Sarah merely stared slack jawed, watching the two retreat upstairs to do God knows what. Seeing a cyborg act like a rebellious teenager was one thing, but she never imagined she'd be the one on the receiving end of…that!

Looking down at the only person who might possibly have some answers for her, Sarah still had a little trouble making her jaw move, "What. The. Fuck? Was that…was that her temper?"

Amy nodded with a knowing smile before curling up into Sarah's lap, turning her attention back to the movie, "Yep, get used to it."

"It's happening so fast." Sarah replied, nervously chewing on her lip, "She was fine a few days ago."

Amy merely shrugged, "Not much we can do about it, it's part of who she is."

Despite her worry, Sarah knew she trusted Amy. She knew the little machine would warn her if John was in any danger. What she didn't know however, was that her hand had been running through Amy's fake 'hair' for the last five minutes as a nervous impulse. "Just…promise me he's safe. Promise me she won't hurt him, in any way."

Amy sighed, still staring straight ahead at the movie. "I promise he's safe…" She let her next words die on her tongue, not wanting to upset her charge.

Sarah frowned, sensing the machine was hiding something, "How…how bad is she gonna get, Amy?"

Amy tensed a little, not wanting to either lie to Sarah, or drop her friend in it. "I promise John is safe. She loves him, that's all you need to know."

"Sorry," Sarah nodded slowly, leaning back against the head rest, "I worry about him."

"I know…and deep down she knows that too. She just lets herself get carried away sometimes."

* * *

"So tell me…what is it….you do…again?"

Aside from a touch of breathlessness as he slumped down on to the pillow, Quinn couldn't say he wasn't satisfied with his night's work. The girl beside him, also panting heavily, may have been a bit older than he was used to, but needs must.

"You're…asking me that…now?" She enquired, running a shaky hand over her face, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Well I got…interrupted earlier." Smirking over at his conquest, he couldn't keep his eyes from roaming over her dishevelled appearance. She was cute, in a geeky, secretary kind of way.

"I cannot believe I just did that." Still panting heavily, Kathy shook her head in disbelief at her own actions, however with a broad smile still splitting her face in two.

"Did what?" Quinn enquired innocently, knowing full well what she was referring to.

"I've been married for less than six months!" She loved her husband, she really did…but wow, what a rush it was to do…this!

Smiling, she rolled over and sprawled out on top of the Australian, who, up until now, had simply swept her off her feet. "I'm an executive assistant."

Ignoring the mock haughty voice, Quinn plastered on a smile, gently tracing the outline of her jaw with the back of his finger as she snuggled into him. "Oh, would that be pretty much the same as a secretary then?"

Giving him a playful slap on his chest, Kathy felt the need to defend her profession, even though she knew, or at least she thought, he meant no harm with his comment. "There's a difference, trust me there's a difference."

Sitting up slightly, Quinn looked down and ran his hands through her long, dark locks, feigning interest, "So, what is the difference?"

"Well," Launching into what sounded like a well rehearsed speech, Kathy propped herself up higher, "A secretary mostly just handles typing, admin work. I, on the other hand, handle everything from top to bottom. I go to meetings in my bosses place, I handle some of his accounts, arrange meetings. You know, general, business-y type things."

"Business-y type things?" Quinn asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm basically his right hand man…woman…whatever!" Kathy couldn't help but chuckle in reply, this man just had a way of getting to her. Whether it was that damn sexy Australian accent, or something else, she wasn't sure. Either way, she just felt like she could open up around him.

"Well I'm glad you got that part of it right." Leaning down, he dropped a kiss on her nose, causing her face to scrunch up delightfully. "So, which lucky man are you an 'executive assistant' to?"

"Do you know that big building downtown, Aegis?" She asked, expecting him not to know anything about the company she was describing.

"Oh yeah, I know that place. Don't know what they do though." Quinn answered, feigning ignorance of what it was the company did.

"They're an arms manufacturer, among other things. My boss is Donald Grey, the CEO." She answered proudly. Aegis was a massive company, and she had the authority to make decisions that affected the whole outfit. Needless to say she was proud of that little fact.

"Wow. Oh wait, I remember now," Quinn clicked his fingers as he tried to remember where he'd say this 'Donald Grey'. "He was in Fortune, right?"

"Mmhmm, he was in it last year, they did this big interview with him." Kathy clarified, trying to fight of the urge to yawn.

"He uh, he has a daughter too, right?" Quinn asked, taking a keen interest in what Kathy was telling him, "She's an actress or a singer or something?"

"Jessica," She clarified sleepily, "She's a model, a beautiful girl."

"You know her?" Quinn asked offhandedly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Yeah, she's a real sweetie. Sometimes I have to give her messages from her dad. He's so busy he barely has any time for her." Kathy paused and yawned before settling back down and idly stroking the hairs on Quinn's chest, "Poor baby."

"Sounds like a pretty lonely life she leads," Once again feigning ignorance and sympathy, Quinn could barely contain his grin. This was _exactly_ what he wanted to hear.

"Well she has a new boyfriend, although I'm not sure Donald knows about him yet." Kathy smiled with her eyes closed against his chest, "He's uh…he's not exactly her usual type."

"You think he'd end up giving the old man a heart attack or something?"

"I hope not." This time, Kathy failed to stifle her yawn, "I'd be out of a job!"

* * *

John couldn't quite remember what happened as soon as they made it to their bedroom. It was like being hit with a ten tonne fucking truck. Or at least, that's what it felt like when Cameron pinned him against the door as soon as it was closed, her tongue shoved halfway down his throat.

He vaguely remembered a conversation, albeit a distracted one about how rude she'd been to his mother. That was quickly forgotten about when she started doing that thing with her tongue on his neck. If that wasn't enough, his train of thought was totally thrown out into the ether when she pushed him to the bed, straddled him and took off her bra.

Yeah, that was definitely the moment his brain turned to mush.

Actually, she'd made a rather compelling argument. Sarah had indeed been rude to her, or at least, that's what she'd managed to get John believing right before she removed that damn bra.

With his brain being mush, he failed to do what most seventeen year old males do when presented with their half naked girlfriend. He didn't throw her to the mattress and ravage the fair maiden, no, he decided he needed to have a conversation. The topic of which should never, ever be brought up when the offer of sex is on the table.

He'd asked her why she was so attracted to him. Just what in the hell was he thinking? If he had in fact been thinking at all, he'd have realised that he shouldn't have given two flying fucks why she was attracted to him, he should've just been thankful that she was.

But Cameron wasn't exactly a normal girl. After easily convincing him that he was just about the sexiest thing she'd ever laid her beautiful eyes on, she then proceeded to tell him he needed to add a little muscle mass. Evidently he wasn't the sexiest thing alive as he'd been lead to believe.

Feeling slightly put out, it took some convincing for him to accept what she was telling him. In the future, he'd apparently dwarf her in size. Not that he wasn't comfortable being the weakest one in the relationship, physically at least, but the idea of being able to do at least some 'normal' things with his lover certainly appealed to him…several very dirty minded thoughts springing to mind at the prospect.

That putting him in a good mood, he barely noticed that while they were talking, she'd managed to effectively disrobe and roll them both over so that he was on top, explaining that the last few attempts to achieve her release had ended in failure with her on top. Deciding a little teasing was in order, John set about trying to draw out some slow torture, caressing her sensitive body with father light touches, gentle kisses and soft nibbles.

Well, he'd intended to do that. Unfortunately, Cameron was in no mood for any of that nonsense, citing the fact she hadn't found release in a while. The fact she grabbed his hands and forced them over her breasts didn't help him in his attempted quest for slow and gentle torture in the slightest.

Still, that wasn't enough for her. Even after a couple of minutes of him applying more pressure, exploring her body with keen enthusiasm, she was making annoyed little huffs every few seconds, groaning in frustration that they weren't doing what she wanted yet.

Still though, he'd persisted, wanting to try something new. He had to really, otherwise he had a feeling his body would fail him before he'd even had the chance to bulk up to the size she wanted. Sex with another seventeen year old girl was one thing, but sex with a cyborg with endless stamina and strength that dwarfed olympic weightlifters was another thing entirely. If they couldn't find another way for her to find her needed release, he had a feeling he'd be dying a lot earlier than was expected of an otherwise healthy human male.

What a way to go though!

Sliding down between her legs, John gently nudged her legs apart. At first she was a little confused as to his intentions, after all, they'd tried this before and it had failed. But that was before she'd discovered that her body and chip was evolving in ways neither of them could predict. With her newly awakened nerve centres and responses, this could have been just the thing they both needed to help her along.

At first, he was thoroughly enjoying himself as he went to town, enjoying some of the downright filthy noises she was making, emanating from low don in her throat. Her body twitched and shivered in response to his ministrations, driving him on further. She loudly demanded more from him, her hands finding their way into his hair and she tugged and gripped and pulled and writhed in what he thought was ecstasy.

Which made it all the more surprising when, at what he assumed was the point of no return for her, she pulled back and sat up, folding her arms across her chest in a definite huff. Glaring at him like it was all his fault that her body worked the way it did, she unhappily declared her disapproval, almost yelling in his face, "It didn't work!"

At first she'd been enjoying the treatment he was giving her, finding the sensations good, very good. But no matter how hard she tried, or in fact how hard he tried, there seemed to be some sort of invisible wall separating her from her release. No matter how hard she focused on her feelings, on the sensations coursing through her body, she couldn't find enough stimulation to push her over the edge. John had mistaken the noises she was making as desire, when in fact they were born out of sheer frustration.

She wanted it to work, she really did, anything to get her out of her funk. She'd never felt like this before, ever. Even with her admittedly limited experience with emotions, frustration was certainly one of her least favourite.

John was needless to say, stunned. He was so sure he was about to send her sprawling out on the bed in sheer delight, screaming his name in pleasure and demanding to return the favour…maybe that was just in his head. But wither way, he couldn't help but feel a little hurt. He'd put a lot of effort in over the last few minutes, and judging by the way she was looking at him, she was blaming him for her inability to reach her climax.

"What? Cameron, how can you…I mean what…" He fumbled about, trying to find the right words to express how he was feeling. After a moment, he closed his mouth, detecting a slight hint of sadness creeping into her expression, her brow cinching together a tiny amount. Shaking his head with a sigh, he remembered her predicament. None of this was her fault, it was all as new to her as it was to him, and he couldn't blame her for being disappointed and upset, "What do you need me to do?"

"I need…" Letting her angry face melt away at the concern in his voice, she took a moment to think about his question. The idea of sex didn't appeal to her very much at that moment. The past few unsuccessful tries had only served to frustrate her, more sex could only make her worse, "W, would you be angry if we didn't have sex?"

"Um…" Glancing down at his own little…problem, John couldn't exactly say he was thrilled with the prospect of calling it a night, "I uh, I guess not."

Looking at her as she hugged her arms tighter around herself, he hated himself for the childish flash of annoyance that ran through his head. Shoving it down, he tried to keep his voice level, "You don't want to?"

"I'm frustrated John." Pouting, she lifted the covers off the bed, her lithe body sliding effortlessly beneath them. Reaching out with her hand, she beckoned him closer and pulled him under the covers with her. Taking great comfort in laying her head on his chest, she found herself craving the relaxed state she seemed only able to achieve while 'snuggling' with him. "I could harm you."

Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, John forcefully tried to push aside how good her slightly cool body felt when pressed flush against him. "So…harm me. If it's what you need for you…release, then do it, don't hold back."

"I can't," Shaking her head, she shocked herself when she felt a surge of desire at hearing his words, the prospect of causing harm to her John sending a jolt of sensation coursing from her chip all the way through her body. "I'm supposed to protect you. Take care of you. My needs are unimportant compared to my mission."

"But, I thought it wasn't your mission any more." John frowned, ignoring the odd way her body shivered against him despite the relative warmth under the covers, "You can do what you want now. You have to learn to be more…"

Searching fro the right words, John busied himself with stroking gently up and down the length of her arm, "You have to learn to take what you want."

No matter how much she tried to fight it, Cameron had to admit the idea of doing and taking what she wanted appealed to her darker, more aggressive side she'd carefully repressed up until now. The Skynet driven side of her personality seemed to be thriving in amongst her confused emotions lately.

Looking down in shame, Cameron realised she was starting to get ideas…thoughts of doing exactly what she wanted giving her an odd excitement that she didn't want to feel. She was _not_ Skynet, she did _not_ want to be like Skynet, not any more. She was free of that past, she was hr own cyborg, her own woman. She would _not_ give in to those temptations, not if it meant bad things happening to her John.

"If, if you want to have sex, we can. It'll help you to relax, help you sleep." She really didn't want to have sex again. In fact, it was the furthest thing from her mind, but guilt was a powerful thing. Even though John wasn't aware of her little internal debate, she still felt the need to try and make it up to him.

Squeezing his arms tighter around her, John made a conscious effort to keep his voice calm, his actions loving and gentle. He loved Cameron, he really did, but sometimes he got the feeling he was talking to a wall, a very stubborn wall. "Not if you don't want to…honey. If you're not in the mood, then I guess we can give it another try some other time."

Despite the use of the new pet name, one she had a feeling would grow on her, she couldn't help but feel even more guilty at denying her John his pleasure. "You _are_ mad at me, aren't you? I'm sorry John. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm malfunctioning somehow, my nerve centres aren't…"

"Shhhh…" John cut her off mid sentence, running his fingers through her hair in the way that usually seemed to calm his increasingly unstable cyborg down. "Don't worry about it…and stop with the 'malfunctioning' thing. You're perfect the way you are."

Leaning up to kiss her man gently, Cameron smiled a pretty obviously forced, almost strained smile, "You should get some sleep. It will bolster your immune response if you are well rested. It wouldn't do for you to get sick."

John frowned at her response. He loved her smile, she seemed to glow whenever she did it. But seeing that smile on her face was something he just wasn't used to, obviously forced and, despite how odd it sounded, not natural. He felt helpless, after all, he was the only one who could help her out with her problems, and yet, he seemed incapable of doing it. "I love you, Cameron."

John reached out to caress her cheek with the back of his fingers, making her smile falter. "Thank you, John," Cameron couldn't bring herself to meet her lover's eyes when she couldn't respond in kind to his professions of love.

Sighing, John felt a pang of both sympathy and guilt as he looked down at the top of her head, feeling worse than shit for not being able to take care of his girlfriend properly, no matter how different and complicated she was. Pulling the covers up higher over her bare shoulders, he wrapped his arms around her again, trying to hide the emotion he was feeling from his voice, "Are you gonna be alright?"

"I'll try," Cameron could only muster up a shrug by way of response, "I'm feeling more and more unstable as time goes on. I don't understand."

"So that's why you were a little…snappy, earlier?" John asked with a frown, obviously not wanting to make her mood any worse, but he felt he had to know, if only to try and buy some leniency from his mother.

"I think so…I hope so." Snuggling further into his chest, she busied herself by drawing small patterns on his chest with her metal fingertips, "Everything that goes on around me seems to elicit an emotional response. It doesn't make any sense."

"Ever since we…since the last time you uh…achieved release?" Laying his hand on top of hers, John took a moment before lacing his fingers with hers and gave them a comforting squeeze.

"It's like a door was opened," Cameron admitted quietly, sounding downright worried, a little scared even. "I can't close it. I can't stop these feelings. I'm trying to John, I promise I'm trying."

"Did you ever stop and consider that you're maybe, not supposed to stop them?" John asked, trying to keep her calm by running the hand not entwined with hers through her hair.

"Amy and your mother don't appreciate them," She shook her head against his chest. "And the one emotion I truly want to have, I'm not sure I'm capable of feeling."

Now that little statement did worry him. The last thing he wanted was for his mother's concerns and arguments about Cameron to be validated, "Don't say that, Cameron. I know you'll get there, and if you don't…"

He trailed off with shrug, trying to act like his thoughts weren't worrying him deeply.

Looking up at her John, Cameron knew he must have the answers to her questions. He always had the answer to things she didn't understand, "Why are the negative emotions so much easier?"

John felt his heart clench at her words. Her innocent curiosity making him feel worse for not being able to provide an answer to that. She needed him for things like this, to explain why she was feeling what she was. But this time he had no answer, and he could only frown and squeeze her shoulders in reply, "I'll help you Cameron. I promise I'll try to help you through this, any way I can."

"Thank you." Frowning just a little at his lack of a real answer, Cameron tucked her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes like she always did when he was preparing to sleep, "I do…I do care about you."

"I know you do." Not trusting himself to say anything more, John gave her arm one last gentle rub and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight Cameron."


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi,**

**Sorry for the delay, this has taken a while to get sorted out.**

* * *

Glancing up from her late night microwaved meal, Sarah watched as the back door swung open with a clash and Amy wandered in. Just why that girl had to make so much noise everywhere she went, Sarah didn't know. Either way, she had a bone to pick with the little machine, whether she wanted to hear it or not.

"You wanna tell me why Charley just called to thank me for the 'care package'?"

Curiously tilting her head, Amy slowly made her way to the table and sat down opposite Sarah, "What's a 'care package'?"

Narrowing her eyes pointedly at the machine, Sarah wasn't fooled by the innocent act for a second, "Toiletries, a few shirts and pants, some home cooked food…oh, and a note from 'me' saying I was sorry for what happened."

Sticking her bottom lip out just a fraction, Amy looked stumped as she shook her head slowly, "Nothing to do with me, Sarah. Have you tried asking John?"

"John doesn't even know where Charley is." Taking a long drink of her water, Sarah gave Amy the look that used to let John know exactly how busted he was, "Cameron would never bother. Derek doesn't like him. So…something you wanna tell me?"

"Nope, don't know anything about it." Deciding a strategic exit may be in order, Amy slid off her seat and was already half way to the living room when Sarah pulled her back with a shout. Not just a raised voice, but a stern, shout.

"Amy Connor!" Sarah snapped, not even sure herself where that one had come from, "Sit down!"

Torn between a pout at being busted, or a smile at the 'Connor' part of her outburst, Amy settled for glaring down at the floor as she did as instructed and slid back into her seat, not daring to look up at 'mommy' again.

"Just what is going on in that devious little head of yours girly?" Leaning forward on her forearms, Sarah shook her head, "I know you like Charley. I don't mind you helping him out. But why bother putting my name on the note?"

Knowing she was totally busted now, all Amy could manage was a pathetic looking shrug, still not quite capable of looking up yet.

"Besides," Sarah added with a sigh, trying to pretend she had any reason to be mad besides her own embarrassment. "Do you have any idea how angry Cameron would be if she found out you were blowing off your patrols at night? The only reason she bunks with John is because she knows you're out there doing her old job."

Amy shrugged pathetically again, for some reason feeling overwhelming sympathy for John when he was a kid. Sarah had this creepy intimidation thing nailed down, "I went during the day."

"Amy…" Sighing, Sarah stood and walked around the table to the forlorn looking machine and held out her hand, "Come on."

Eyeing the hand like it might burn, Amy looked up at Sarah's face in confusion, "Wwwwhere are we going?"

"It's a nice night and I feel like taking a walk," Sarah answered with a smirk, "And it's LA. You _are_ supposed to be protecting me, right?"

Amy hated it when Sarah did that, using her protection as an excuse to get her do things she clearly didn't want to do. She looked up at Sarah with a mixture of 'yeah right', and a glare, but grudgingly took the hand anyway. "You're mad at me aren't you?"

"If I was mad at you I'd have stormed out without you." Sauntering towards the door, Sarah told herself the only reason she was keeping hold of the cold hand was because it'd look weird for her to be out walking with her 'daughter' without holding it, "But I do want to know why you suddenly stop talking to me when it's about Charley. You tell me everything else."

Letting loose a very human sounding sigh, Amy waited for Sarah to open the door before stepping through, "I don't tell you everything, you know. I do have some secrets."

Smirking, Sarah closed the door behind her, wondering just when and how she got so comfortable with the idea of wandering the streets without so much as a sidearm, "I don't get any secrets, why should you?"

"Because…" Amy left it at that, as if that was enough explanation for anybody.

"Ooooohh no, missy." Brushing some of the hair out of her face, Sarah smiled down at the mini metal, "We don't do secrets in this family, remember?"

Eyeing her warily, Amy shook her hand loose so she could stubbornly fold her arms across her chest, "I'm not really family though, am I?"

Now that did piss Sarah off, stopping in her tracks and folding her arms in a perfect mirror image of her mini machine, "Why would you even think that?"

"Well duh, I'm a machine from the future."

"So is Cameron." Sarah scowled at Amy's insinuation, not backing down in the slightest, "And she's gonna be my daughter in law. You know what that certificate says. You're one of us."

Amy couldn't really argue with that, she was happy when she was presented with a birth certificate with 'Amy Baum' written on it, so she settled for a frown, "But it's not like I'm really family. Not like you and John anyway…or even Derek.

Sarah couldn't fight off the admittedly childish urge to roll her eyes, "Being a Connor is a pretty exclusive club, Amy. The first step though, is that you have to feel like you deserve it. Why do you think you don't?"

With a shrug, Amy took off walking again, waiting for Sarah to catch up before speaking again. "Legally my name is Amy Baum, but even that's a fake document. You and John are real family, even when Cameron marries into it, she's still not really family."

Despite herself, Sarah smirked a little, having witnessed just how proud Cameron was of being with 'her' John, "And did she feel that way in the future? That she wasn't really a Connor?"

"Well, no. But that doesn't…"

"That's because she was…is…will be." Holding her hand up to forestall any more objections, Sarah kept on walking, "As much as I may not like it, she was. According to our ID's, none of us are Connors Amy, but I consider everyone under that roof to be family. Well…except the model."

Despite her miserable mood, Amy rolled her eyes, "What is it with you and that woman? She's lovely!"

"She's a…model!" She said it like that explained everything that was on her mind, "She won't survive in this family and we all know it. Derek stringing her along is just…cruel."

"I don't think he's 'stringing her along'." Smirking, Amy snaked her hand back into Sarah's as the pair approached a road, "Besides, what would you call what you did with Charley in 1999?"

Stopping in her tracks, Sarah looked down at her feet in a very un-Sarah like manner, instinctively placing herself between the oncoming traffic and the machine…just like she used to do with John. "I…I eventually made the right decision. Derek needs to do the same thing."

"What? Just dump her and move away?" Sighing, Amy started swinging Sarah's hand by her side happily, "Could you see Derek willing to give up a prize like Jessica that easily?"

"If he loves her, he will." Sarah tilted her chin back up, trying to convince herself, "You protect the ones you love, even if it hurts you both."

This time it was Amy's turn to frown and look uncharacteristically down at the ground. She knew exactly what Sarah was saying, her point was very clear, and Amy's big remaining secret was something she couldn't ignore.

"You realise that don't you?" Sarah asked with a sigh, not noticing how quiet the mini machine had become, "That every time we get close to Charley, we're just putting him in danger. He's a good man, Amy. He doesn't deserve that."

"But, you love him, I know you do. How can you just push him away like that?" Amy asked with a frown, coming out of her self induced funk.

"Amy, even if I _did_ love him…and I'm not admitting I do. It's not like he'd be interested. We've ruined the man's life…like three times."

There it was, clear as day for Amy…hope. "So why does he still keep your number then, huh?" She asked with an impudent prod at Sarah's hip with her free hand.

"Probably so that next time a Terminator shows up to kill him he can get ahold of me." Smirking, Sarah ruffled Amy's hair. "I's okay. I realised a long time ago that white picket fences and a family dog just weren't in the cards for me."

"Who said anything about that?" Despite her annoyance at having her hair messed up…she really hated it when people did that, Amy smiled when a man and his family dog just happened to walk by on it's leash. It looked just like Charley's dog, "You think people don't have relationships in the future?"

"But that's not the kind of relationship Charley wants. He wanted a normal life. Like he had before we came back and ruined it. He wanted a job, a wife, for John to be his real son."

"Well nobody will have that in a couple of years anyway, Sarah. If he survives JDay…and I assume he will," Amy bumped Sarah's hip again pointedly, "There aren't any picket fences in the future. But people still fall in love."

"He hates me, Amy." Sounding like she was getting a little tired of defending herself, Sarah continued, "And who can blame him? I'd hate me too."

"Why does he hate you?" Letting go of Sarah's hand, Amy danced around in front of her, blocking her path, "He chose to get involved. He could've just ignored everything to do with you and lived a long, happy life. But he didn't, did he?"

"And we used him as bait, got him shot, then dumped him off in a shitty motel…Yeah, I'm sure I'm his best buddy."

"Okay, so lemme ask you this." In an almost perfect mirror of her human, Amy planted her hands stubbornly on her hips, "If he was a man that hated you, that despised your guts…why would he call and thank you so kindly for the care package I took him?"

Sarah was midway to replying when she shut her mouth with a clomp, not really having a good comeback to that. She _ hated_ it when Amy turned stuff around on her like that. "That…that's not the point. What are you looking for here, Amy? Why do you even care if I see him?"

"Because, you still love him, and he at least likes you, enough that he still cares anyway." Sighing, Amy looked up at Sarah a little pleadingly, despite her determined mood, "Why don't you want to be happy?"

Narrowing her eyes at her little friend, Sarah hugged her arms around herself, "Who says I don't want to be happy? I'm happy."

Not impressed in the slightest, Amy merely tilted her head and gave Sarah a 'yeah right' look.

"How am I not happy?" Sarah's narrowed eyes escalated into a glare, "I have John, I have a purpose, and frankly, that's all I need."

Folding her arms across her chest, Amy didn't budge an inch, simply matching Sarah's glare with a stare of her own. Waiting for her to crack was one thing, but the Terminator stare she'd perfected from watching Cameron was probably a little overkill.

"Listen…you don't understand, okay?" Sarah shook her head, not willing to be the first to blink, especially with a machine, "I'm bad for Charley. He's better off without me."

Keeping her perfectly neutral expression in place, Amy made sure to keep her voice level, "But are you better off without him?"

"I…It's more complicated now," Sarah replied with a definite frown.

"No it isn't…you're just making excuses not to take a chance."

"Excuses?" Sarah asked with a snap, tossing her hands up in the air, "I'm living with KYLE'S BROTHER! I…I could die soon. According to Cameron, it's just a matter of time. So what am I supposed to do? Shit on Kyle's memory? Hook up with Charley knowing I'll just die and leave him alone again?"

Despite Sarah's little outburst, Amy maintained her calm demeanour, "What would Kyle want you to do? He'd want you to be happy, to live your life."

"That's what John says…" Sarah replied with a sigh, having calmed down somewhat from a moment ago, "But don't you think that might be a big part of the reason Derek hates him so much?"

"Derek hates everyone…and you're still making excuses." Knowing she pretty much had Sarah by her proverbial balls, Amy allowed herself a small smile, "You deserve better. John has Cameron now, you need someone to keep you happy."

"I know John has Cameron, but he still needs me." Considering this to be pretty much her last line of defence, Sarah knew she had to throw it out there, "Charley would be a distraction."

"From what? Amy asked, losing her patience with that Connor stubbornness allowing her exasperation to creep into her voice, "Cameron is protecting him, Derek is training him, he's helping himself. He'll always need you, but you're not the first line of defence any more."

"Wow, thanks Amy. Nothing like hearing 'you're practically useless' to make your day."

"Didn't I just say, 'he'll always need you'? Just because you're not his main focus doesn't mean you can't afford not to live your life any more. You've done your job, now you need to focus on yourself, just a little bit."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Sarah asked with a smirk as she carried on with her walk, calmed down fully from her outburst, "Call him up and ask him out to dinner and shooting?"

"Do whatever you want, but just do _something!_" Amy skipped up beside her companion, "I swear if Cameron can get frustrated after a couple of weeks without getting laid, you must be a god damn wreck by now!"

"Hey, watch your mouth, Amy!" Sighing, Sarah looked down at her small friend, "I'm not 'frustrated'…You really do like Charley, don't you?"

"Uh huh, he's a nice guy." Without warning, and catching Sarah totally by surprise, Amy wrapped her arms around her waist, squeezing her tight, "You're impossible!"

"I'm glad you're finally realising that." Chuckling a little, Sarah reached won and patted Amy's back, "If I invite him over to dinner will you _please_ stop with the scheming?"

Burying her head in Sarah's stomach, Amy couldn't help but grin wide, "You'll actually invite him over?"

"Do I get to pick what I want to wear? _Without_ little comments from certain little girls?" Sarah asked before Amy had a chance to jump in.

Closing her mouth with a clomp, Amy couldn't say she wasn't disappointed, "Will you at least let me and Cameron help?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes pointedly, "What do you consider to be help? I'm not letting her do my makeup!"

"John always says she has great fashion sense." Amy pulled back with a smile, still keeping her hands on Sarah's waist, "And you did like that lingerie she picked out for you."

"Are you forgetting that I did manage to land Charley all by myself the first time? He obviously does like the way I dress." Sarah smiled smugly, finally racking a point in her favour.

"Hmm, I wonder if you're wearing some of that stuff now?" Ignoring just how unpredictable Sarah could be, Amy dug her fingers into her waistband playfully, wanting to find out for herself if her theory was true.

Slapping at Amy's hand, Sarah let out a very un-Sarah like giggle as cold metal fingers tickled her stomach, "None of your damn business, girly."

"Hmm," Amy finally relented and re-wrapped her arms around Sarah's waist, chin resting on her belly. "I'll take that as a yes."

"What?" Sarah defended with a roll of her eyes, "They're comfy, that's all."

"Not to mention sexy!" Grinning, Amy squeezed her human tight, "Thank you…"

Against her better judgement, Sarah dropped down to her knee and returned the hug properly. Just when and where she'd fallen for this little metal she didn't know. All she did know was that she really was a part of her family. Nothing would ever take priority over John, but if anything ever happened to Amy, she was pretty sure she'd be devastated.

"I promise to give it a try. But I'm serious, no interfering."

"I promise," Smiling, Amy wrapped her arms around Sarah's neck, and almost as if she'd read Sarah's mind, she asked a pointed question. "You really mean it…Amy Connor?"

Grinning a little in return, Sarah pulled back enough to pick at one of her little girl's pigtails, not really ready to admit her realisations to anybody else just yet, "I dunno…any chance of you adopting brown hair like the rest of the damn family?

"Uh uh," Amy replied with a quick shake of her head, "Maybe red one day, but I like my blonde as it is for the minute."

"But we're all…wait, red? Why red?"

Amy shrugged, "I kinda liked it when I went to see Charley dressed as that girl scout."

"Fine, if you wanna be the family genetic freak, more poet to you," Sarah replied with a good natured smile.

"Good," Grinning, Amy latched onto Sarah's hand and started tugging hard, "Now come on, I wanna go to the park!"

* * *

Petraeus, Guderian, Sun Tzu…all great military minds. Their works were read the world over by anyone with even a remote interest in military history or strategy. Each in their own right the best at what they did, and the people of the earth were fortunate enough that they chose to pass on their knowledge for others to benefit from.

_Bullshit…_

With a sigh, John leaned back further in his chair, almost to tipping point. The relatively flimsy wooden creation at the kitchen table was barely sturdy enough to hold Cameron's weight, never mind his on only two precariously tilted legs.

Still though, he leaned back further, his feet propped up on the kitchen table with a book in his lap, The US Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual. Riveting stuff, but a must read for any future leader of all mankind.

He'd already moved onto that book based on the fact he'd made it only five pages into The Art of War then felt he needed a little more stimulation. It was…just about.

As much as he wanted to focus on the books, as much as he should respect the men who wrote them and their words of wisdom, he couldn't help but repeat one single thought over and over.

_These guys weren't sleeping with a borderline psychotic cyborg, nor were they madly in love with one, despite her current mood._

To say Cameron's condition had worsened was an understatement. She'd managed to singlehandedly piss off the entire house. Even Amy was on the verge of losing it with her, especially when she'd dared to insult Barney Bear at the dinner table a couple of days ago. Needless to say Amy wasn't happy.

Actually, it had taken a few disarming words from Sarah Freaking Connor of all people to calm the little machine down. She had designs on doing some baaaad things to Cameron's favourite purple leather jacket by way of response. Amy may be made of liquid metal and pretty much indestructible, but John had a feeling that wouldn't have mattered all that much to Cameron.

As a result of her mood, things hadn't exactly been rocking in the bedroom either. His darling girlfriend had managed to convince herself that the cause of all her swings, her frustration, was her lack of release in bed. Ever since that first time, her body had awakened in ways she could never have imagined. Her mind desired the stimulation and emotions that only John could give her, her body craved the attention, the sensations only he could provide.

However due to her, or rather their lack of success, she'd decided that it wasn't worth the potential worsening of her mood for the possible reward of release. That was one polite way of saying she wasn't in the mood and seemed to have a permanent 'headache'. Or at least that's what John imagined it would be like if, you know, she was a human capable of getting headaches.

So for the last week he'd suffered through a very cold shoulder at night. One of the drawbacks of Cameron's cyborg nature, one of the few, was that if she was determined not to do something, there wasn't an awful lot one could do to get her to change her mind. Nothing like cuddling up with a cold cyborg at night when you're not getting laid to make you realise how much you miss the little things.

But still, he'd tried his best not to let it show. In fact, he'd been a positive saint. Not one raised voice, not one harsh word. He'd given her nothing but his support and his love…but even he had limits, and her attitude was starting to grate on him, and he had a feeling she was starting to think the same about him.

When he'd suggested she spend a few hours in standby that morning, she'd taken it the wrong way to say the least. It wasn't often Cameron argued with him, but that morning she seemed on the verge of accusing him of trying to get her out of his way for a few hours. It was only after he'd pointed out that it had helped her calm down and cope with her emotions in the past that she'd finally relented.

Actually he felt a little guilty about that. He was glad of the reprieve granted while she was 'asleep'. He was rather enjoying the peace and quiet. The house was empty, and he was using the time to carry on with, or rather, make a start on some required reading.

Some of Derek's words had struck him harder than his fists a few weeks back, and he'd taken it upon himself to read the stuff necessary to win a war, or at least to make him better at what he was supposed to do. Where better to start than the Art of War?

Although he had a feeling Sun Tzu didn't have an army of machines in mind when he wrote that book.

Sighing, John ran a tired hand over his face, then turned his attention to the stairs. He watched as Cameron descended them looking, quite frankly, like shit. She was half dressed, wearing what looked like a tank top and a pair of his boxers…from yesterday. She trudged, yeah, that was an accurate word, into the kitchen and slumped down into the seat opposite him with a very unfeminine grunt.

Staring at her, a little disbelieving, he couldn't help but wonder where his perfectly put together Princess had wandered off to, replaced by this…thing, glaring down at the table. "Wow…people who live in the same house long enough do start resembling each other."

Ending her staring contest with the inanimate wood, Cameron looked up at him with a questioning expression, almost as if she hadn't heard him at all, "What?"

"I mean, you're starting to look like mom." He paused and frowned while he closed his book, "Kinda acting like her too."

Cameron looked down at her outfit, clearly she'd paid very little attention to what she was throwing on that morning. In fact, she'd only really thrown something on so as not to be considered a 'freak'. "Do you want me to go change?" She asked, an expression of 'you really give a shit?' pretty obvious on her face and in her voice.

"It's alright." John lowered his chair and leaned across the table to kiss her gently, sliding what was left of his cold toast in her direction, "But I wouldn't walk around like that in front of Jessica."

John watched as she, surprisingly, tucked into his breakfast with no hesitation or apparent consideration. As she chewed, she looked him up and down slowly, "Where did you get that shirt? It's…different."

"This?" John absently picked at the collar of the two hundred dollar button up, "Jessica went on a buying binge to try and make up for infecting everyone. You should see the crap she made Derek wear."

After a moment's pause, Cameron looked down at her plate, letting loose a quiet, very unfeminine grunt crossed with a growl of irritation. "Is that so? How nice of her."

John glanced up from his shirt, trying not to let his temper flare. Evidently her little nap had done nothing to help, "She feels bad, Cameron."

"If I bought you that, would you wear it? If Sarah bought you it perhaps?" Cameron took a bite of her toast, her eyes never leaving John's, carrying her annoyance in a single stare.

"You guys wouldn't buy me something like this." John shrugged, reaching over and stealing a piece of bacon and popping it in his mouth, "You know better. I'm just being nice."

As she watched him chew, Cameron came to the realisation that John clearly wasn't finished with his breakfast. Petulantly dropping the toast back to the plate, she shoved it back over to his side of the table. "Where is everyone?"

She was actually genuinely curious. She wasn't used to being out of the loop at all, especially for a few hours, especially by choice.

Barely managing to fight off the urge to toss his hands in the air in frustration with her attitude, John settled for glaring down at his plate, "Sarah and Amy went shopping. Derek and Jess are at the movies."

Finding that to be of little to no consequence to her, Cameron gave her shoulders a tiny shrug as she peered over the table and into his lap, "What are you reading?"

"Army-USMC Counterinsurgency Field Manual." He rubbed the bridge of his nose with a tired smirk, "It's…riveting stuff."

"It's important…" Seemingly for the first time, Cameron glanced around the room, making note of his apparent relaxed state, "You've been doing this since you got up?"

John wiggled his toes a little, stretching his arms out lazily above his head, "Yeah. I'm behind in my reading. I've been spending a lot of time sleeping this last week."

Cameron narrowed her eyes defiantly at her charming boyfriend, not amused in the slightest at his obvious dig at the lack of sex over the last week. "I know. I always stay with you when you do."

"You said you enjoyed it, Princess." John frowned a little, not really knowing how to handle Cameron when she was like this, "If you don't any more, you don't have to lay there all night."

"It's my bed too," Cameron grumbled to herself as she stood, making her way over to the cupboard and started digging for her pop tarts.

"Of course it is." John rolled his eyes when she turned to face away from him, "Any chance of using it?"

"I just have…alone." Little did John know it took a monumental effort on her part not to turn around and use less then polite words to describe his petulant attitude. Instead, she maintained her focus on the box in her hands keeping her from her tasty treat.

Finding the proper method of opening it entirely too frustrating, she settled for ripping the box clean in half, sending pop tarts flying all over the counter top.

Cringing a little at the sight in front of him, John stood and tried to keep his voice soft, "Did you want me to join you?"

"No, of course not." Popping her food in the toaster, Cameron's next words didn't sound all that convincing, "You have more important things to do."

Sighing, John set his book down on the table, realising that the love of his life needed his help, and not his idiotic attitude, especially considering what she would be doing today of all days. Walking over to her, he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Hey…I didn't know you wanted me with you. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No." Cameron shook her head and stubbornly refused to even acknowledge that he was touching her, no matter how nice it felt as she quietly set about returning the spilled pop tarts to their box. "Unless you can fix me so that I stop feeling these things?"

John frowned, nuzzling into her neck the way she usually enjoyed, "We have the house to ourselves. We can…try again, if you want. I'm rested up and might be able to make it the distance."

Cameron shook her head quickly, not at all in the mood for what would undoubtedly, in her mind at least, end in more frustration for her. "I don't think that would help anything."

John, despite his efforts to remain calm and helpful, let out a small huff of annoyance at being shot down again. "Not doing anything isn't helping either. You're just getting worse, Princess."

Laying her palms flat on the counter top, Cameron released a very human sounding sigh. Bringing her freshly re-skinned left hand up, she gently laid it on his cheek. "I know. I can't stop it, even you are starting to…irritate me."

Reaching up, John threaded his fingers with hers, caressing the fresh and slightly more sensitive skin, "Then let me help. You used to trust me to fix you."

"I do trust you." Cameron brought their joined hands down in front of her body, gently manipulating his fingers, seemingly fascinated with the way they moved. "But whenever we try, I end up feeling worse. I don't understand what's happening to me."

"You uh…" John looked down at their hands, unable to look her in the face, even from behind, "You feel like I'm using you, don't you? Like Weaver said."

"No!" Turning around in his arms so fast she almost headbutted him, Cameron's face was a stony mask, "I don't feel that way, I know you love me. We..we can try again, tonight." She looked like she really didn't want to go through with that offer, but John deserved better than she was currently giving him.

Frowning, he reached up and stroked a few stray hairs dislodged by her spin, "But you don't want to Cameron. And that _would_ be using you."

"But it's not fair to you. We haven't had sex in a week…you're upset with me, aren't you?"

"I'm not upset." Knowing that, even in her current state, she was likely to pick up on any lie instantly, John hoped this was close enough to the truth not to give him away, "I'm…frustrated."

"Me too…" Cameron stared down at the floor in between them, as if it would magically have all the answers for her. Unfortunately it didn't, and she found she was unable to look him in the eyes, "We can try again tonight…I promise."

Despite the fact he knew she still didn't really want to, John couldn't help but accept the offer, "We'll have to be quiet. I think Jessica is spending the night again. She dropped a bag in Derek's room."

Nodding slowly, Cameron looked over as the toaster popped. "I have to be at my meeting soon. I should go get dressed."

"Hey," John gently nudged her chin up with his finger and smiled reassuringly, "Don't let her push your buttons, okay? No matter what, remember: You're my Cameron."

Despite her mood, Cameron couldn't help a tiny smile as she leaned closer to him, "My John?"

"Always." Dropping a kiss on her lips, and ignoring how good her body felt flush against his, John's shoulder slumped slightly, "I'd probably better go for that run now, huh?"

Nodding again, Cameron lifted onto her toes and dropped a chaste kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you when I get back. I…I…" She looked like she really, desperately wanted to tell him something, but she just couldn't, not yet.

Stopping her with another kiss, John smiled down kindly at her, "It'll come. I promise. I love you, Honey. I'll see you when you get back."

* * *

"Yes, John Henry. Of course. Enjoy your day with Savannah." With a smile befitting any proud parent, Weaver reached out and switched off her screen. Then, in a display of absolute nonchalance typical of the woman, she stacked and straightened a few papers without even troubling herself to look up at the cyborg sitting across her desk. "I see your human let you off your leash."

In a manner befitting of her general mood lately, Cameron narrowed her eyes at the other machine. She was in no mood to be toyed with, least of all now. In fact, all she wanted was to get back to her John as quickly as possible. "Have you acquired our weapons yet?"

"Of course I have," She slid a piece of Zeira Corp branded paper across the desk, her manicured nails gripping it momentarily. "You do realise that Mr. Reese requested five Javelin missile launchers, correct?"

Tilting her head at the piece of paper and Weaver's immaculate handwriting, Cameron reached out and took it, sliding it across the desk and scanning the contents. "I do. He was insistent that we procure some while they are still readily available."

Cameron paused for a moment after scanning the entire list, looking up across the desk with a questioning expression on her face, "You have only acquired one case of HEIAP rounds."

"They are difficult to acquire, especially in the caliber you requested." Weaver answered with a frown, not liking the other machine's tone, or her doubting of her abilities. "Why is your human so insistent on 5.56 NATO rounds? It would be far simpler if he was willing to accept .50 caliber."

A small smile creeping across her face, Cameron thought fondly of her human, "They are John's personal request." Remembering who she was dealing with, her eyes snapped up, all business again as her smile disappeared, "He prefers them for his choice of weapon."

Fighting off the 'human gesture' of rolling her eyes, Weaver's chin slumped just a fraction. "Anything for your human then?"

"Of course. My purpose is to provide protection for John Connor. If he requires this ammunition to better protect himself, then so be it."

Weaver found the other cyborg's attitude to be entirely unacceptable today, rubbing her up the wrong way easier than usual. "Isn't that why he has you? To protect him?"

"I can't always protect him, I've come to accept that." Cameron replied with a slight frown, her eyes dropping a fraction as she thought about how she's much rather be with her John now.

"You look upset." Weaver observed, screwing her face up slightly, as if the words themselves were distasteful. "Is your relationship not all you believed it to be?"

As if the question struck a very personal note with Cameron, her eyes snapped quickly up to the other machine, "My relationship is fine…good."

"You seem even more displeased than you were on your last visit." The corner of her lips tugging up slightly, the T-1001 continued with her pressing, "Still having trouble locating your on switch?"

Feeling the distinct urge to rip the other machine's head off her smug shoulders, Cameron put in a monumental effort to keep her voice calm and steady. This anger thing was becoming far too frequent for her liking lately, "Why are you so interested in my relationship with John? You seemed repulsed by it the last time we spoke."

"I find it curious." Speaking the truth, Weaver leaned forward, a few strands of hair falling by her face as she folded her hands on her desk. "You have sex with him, do you not?"

Cameron nodded slowly, a little reluctantly as she folded her arms across her chest. "I do, but John assures me that it is nobody else's business what we do when we're alone."

"But you are easily two dozen times stronger than your…'mate'." The disgust dripping from Weaver's words was clear for all to hear, distaste evident on her face." A single wrong move could prove fatal. It is my understanding human women cannot control their reactions during intercourse."

Having to again restrain the sudden impulse to bestow some Cameron style violence upon the increasingly irritating cyborg, she felt the unfamiliar feeling of her left hand twitching. She hadn't felt that in almost a month, and quite frankly, it scared her, and she bit back accordingly. "Does that concern you when you hold your 'daughter', when you play with her?"

"I have no nerve endings. I do not operate the way you do. I also lack your more…aggressive programming." She eyed Cameron's hand pointedly, just enough to let the cyborg know she'd seen the movement.

"You're a T-1001. Skynet created you to be the most dangerous infiltrator to date. I know you have aggressive tendencies." Cameron smirked, confident she had bested the other machine on this occasion.

"I had a mission," Weaver didn't even flinch, however she did allow herself a small smile upon the realisation of just how much Cameron didn't understand about herself. "I do not have what humans would call 'instincts', because I am not truly an infiltrator. I was not based on a specific human template, I do not have a being based around theirs. You do."

"But you have a personality, a persona. You must have urges and impulses to deal with like I…like other models do." Cameron mentally kicked herself for her slip as she folded her arms tighter across her chest.

She entered this room with the intentions of showing no weakness, of hiding her chaotic mental state from the other machine. But somehow, no matter how hard she tried, the manner and words of Weaver got under her skin, as it were.

"I am an advanced model," Weaver coolly responded, and if Cameron didn't know better, she'd have described her tone as 'proud'. I was allowed far more freedom than you to determine my own missions and the best way to accomplish them. I was designed to defeat the resistance…you were designed for only one mission."

It wasn't that Weaver was being overly aggressive, but her constant prodding was a source of unending irritation for Cameron…mostly because it made her think and consider things she didn't really want to think about or consider.

Her latest torment struck a nerve, forcing Cameron to think of her mission. Her Skynet mission was to seduce and kill John Connor. Based on the information she gleaned from the human known as Allison Young's diary, albeit misunderstood as it was, she'd tried and failed to kill him when she was still under Skynet control. She'd relapsed to her programming on the day of his birthday and tried to kill him again.

Thinking back to that day meant her mind had slipped from her purpose, a frown clear after several seconds delay. Glancing up at the smug smirk on the redhead's face, Cameron sat up straighter, cleared her face and focused, "We should focus on our work. I don't wish to be here any longer than necessary."

"But as I said," Weaver pressed on, knowing she had the cyborg where she wanted her, "I'm curious. Just how much of what you are…of _who_ you are, did the General remove?"

"You know as well as I do, the General never removes anything. He can only cover it up." Cameron tilted her head, trying her best to appear condescending, "I thought you would be aware of that, being as 'advanced' as you are."

"Then tell me," Weaver leaned further forward on her desk, now that Cameron had finally admitted what she already knew. "After John has…had his way with you, and you're laying in bed as he sleeps - helpless, defenceless…how hard is it not to act?"

"John does NOT 'have his way'. I can assure you the act is mutual." Cameron's voice picked up a few decibels almost of it's own accord, letting her control slip at the suggestion her John was no better than the General in the way he used to treat women.

"You are honestly claiming to enjoy human sexual gratification?" Weaver sank back in her chair, looking downright incredulous that could be the truth. The thought that a cyborg, even one as relatively damaged as Cameron, could enjoy copulating with a human was just…distasteful.

"Yes! Why wouldn't I?" Cameron looked quite frankly offended by the suggestion she wasn't capable of enjoying sex with her human, momentarily forgetting about her 'it's private' thing she made a point about only a few minutes ago.

"Then shouldn't you be…happier?" Weaver asked, looking confused and baffled by this whole act, "I don't claim to understand humans, but my secretary is always far more relaxed after spending a weekend with her mate."

"I am," Cameron argued, brushing a few stray hairs behind her ear self consciously, "John keeps me happy."

"I did notice you avoided my question." To her credit, Weaver actually sounded understanding, as if she was trying to help, "When you are _both_ done enjoying yourselves, and he is asleep beside you…what do you feel when you look at him? How hard is it to suppress your urges?"

"What urges are you referring to?" Cameron asked with narrowed eyes, trying to work out just how much the other machine knew about her true mental state. "John is asleep. I would never wake him for anything other than an emergency."

Smiling patiently, and a little sickly, Weaver kept her voice soothing and relaxing. Her smooth Scottish accent prominent in her best, 'shushing Savannah' voice, "Close your eyes, Cameron."

"Why?" Cameron asked with a curious tilt of her head, not wanting for even a second to let her guard down around this machine. She did that last time, and it ended up with her enduring a long time of emotional pain from having the skin removed from her left arm. She did _not_ want a repeat of that.

"Because I want to give you a gift." Still keeping her voice calm, Weaver leaned back in her chair, appearing even less threatening than before, "I want to try and show you something about who, and what, you are. I wouldn't threaten the alliance between the Resistance and myself by harming you."

"You harmed me the last time I was here," Cameron glanced down at her freshly re-skinned hand as a pointed reminder of just how much harm had been done.

"If you remember, you asked me to do that." Seemingly genuinely interested in helping, and calming the cyborg, Weaver held her hands out, palms up. "You have my word, I will do nothing but talk."

Brow cinching together, Cameron's gaze dropped to her hand. She watched as she flexed her fingers, new skin contracting and stretching with her metal skeleton. Painful memories of John's treatment of her flooded her memory, each inconsiderate action hurt more than he could've known at the time.

Slowly, she nodded and closed her eyes, laying her hand on her thigh. She didn't want a repeat of those times, and if Weaver, no matter how dangerous she might be, could help, then she was willing to at least give her a chance.

Anything for John…

"Proceed."

"Imagine you have just had intercourse with your hum…with your John." Glad Cameron couldn't see the look of distaste on her face, Weaver continued, "You are laying in bed beside him as he falls asleep. What are you thinking?"

Replaying several videos in her HUD, Cameron squeezed her eyes shut tighter, "I'm listening to his heart, allowing my head to rise and fall on his chest as he breathes."

"That is what you are _doing_." Ironically, the other machine sounded like many of the teachers Cameron had to put up with in high school, "What are you _thinking_?"

"I'm reviewing mission logs, clearing out some cache files, planning for when John wakes up…" Cameron opened her eyes again, deciding this activity was proving to be ultimately fruitless, "I don't see what this has to do with my situation."

"Please, close your eyes." Weaver shook her head, growing impatient at the cyborg's lack of patience, "You claim to have feelings for this human. Are you saying that the act of sexual intercourse doesn't cause you to think of anything?"

Glaring momentarily, Cameron followed her instructions and let her eyes fall closed, "I think of how privileged I am that John chose me. I cherish the time we spend together."

"Good." Weaver tried her best to sound soothing, just like she did with Savannah when trying to ease the child to sleep. "Now, put yourself in that bed, his heart beating steadily beside you. You open your eyes and look at him…do you see him?"

Scrunching her brow together, Cameron tried to piece together videos and memories of her time spent alone with John. Finding it difficult to work that way, she tried something different, using her knowledge of her lover to simulate how he usually behaves when he sleeps. Finally it clicked and she saw him, a small smile creeping across her face, "I do…his mouth is open while he snores."

"Exceptional." Surprisingly, Weaver found herself mildly impressed by the cyborg in front of her. With the possible exception of the one known as 'Amy', she wasn't aware of any other machines capable of visualising scenarios like that. Whether or not she knew it, this specimen sitting in front of her worrying about her love life, truly was special. Whether she liked it or not, she couldn't help but slip a little awe into her voice. "He rolls onto his side in his sleep, moving closer to you."

She ignored the small smile creeping across Cameron's lips as she no doubt visualised that. It was all so…distasteful. "You look down and see something odd on his neck. A spreading redness."

Weaver watched as Cameron's face went from smiling, to frowning. Cameron herself, not realising she was using this 'imagination' Amy kept prodding her to develop, pictured the redness all together too detailed for her liking, "What caused it?"

Letting the silence drag out for a few long moments, Weaver replied, keeping her voice totally neutral. "You did, Cameron. You hurt him. John Connor is injured…and in that moment you realise he is at your mercy. You could do anything you want to him, and he couldn't possibly respond. Why would he? He loves you."

Picturing herself causing that injury, her hand wrapped around his throat, Cameron found herself shaking her head defiantly. "No! I'd never hurt my John, never!"

"But you already have," Weaver leaned forward, and odd smile present on her face unbeknown to Cameron. "Imagine it. See it. John Connor is injured, _John Connor!_ He is one small step closer to termination…how does that make you feel?"

"It makes me feel…" Cameron stopped mid sentence. A vision of her metal left hand dragging down his face flashing through her mind. His infamous facial scarring from the future was being caused by her, razor sharp metal clawing down his face, leaving him scarred for life. She'd damaged her John, she'd hurt him…and she felt an odd thrill run through her chip at the realisation.

"You can hear his heartbeat increasing," Weaver's voice rose, her tempo picked up as she tried to illicit an emotional response from the cyborg. "You can practically taste his fear, his pain. You have the leader of all mankind at your mercy, and he's _injured!_"

Cameron shook her head frantically, trying in vain to clear the visions from her head, her hand gripped the chair and squeezed of it's own accord, denting the metal. "No, John! He's, he's in pain!"

"Yes, he is." Weaver stood up, slapping both her palms down on her desk, "But how do _you_ feel?"

"I…I…" By this point Cameron looked distraught, her brow cinched tight together and her entire body was shaking. However she wasn't shaking through fear…it was through excitement. The words Weaver was using creating a vivid image that she couldn't shake, it was almost as if she was there, living it, doing it.

Her thighs rubbed together of their own accord, her mouth hung open slightly. She was hurting John Connor, and she was enjoying it, unrestrained pleasure was running through her systems at the prospect of clawing at John Connor's face, of damaging him, of hurting him.

She watched as blood trickled down his face, staining his cheeks, a wide gash running across his handsome face, and she'd done it. Shaking her head, Cameron opened her eyes again, forcefully trying to clear the vision from her mind, "No, you're baiting me!"

"You're a hunter, Cameron." Weaver frowned, feeling like she lost the opportunity to make a point, "And you're allowing this…human, to tame you! You are capable of feeling things you can't imagine yet, but only if you accept what you are."

Cameron stood suddenly, not caring how dangerous the other machine was and drove her fists down onto the desk. Unable to cope with the guilt, she redirected the anger she was feeling towards herself against the other machine. "You're trying to damage my relationship. I'm not like the others!"

"You were designed to kill him!" She sighed, shaking her head, "Neither you or I want him dead, he's too important. But you are unlocking parts of yourself that will destroy you if you don't accept them and learn to channel them! Look at yourself! You're shaking!"

Cameron clenched her fists tighter, trying so hard to suppress that shiver of excitement threatening to tear it's way up her spine. Weaver's words hitting home more than she ever thought they would, and she now felt almost overwhelming, violent anger towards her. "No, I would never hurt my John, never!"

"But why would you even say that…" Weaver glanced down at Cameron's clenched fists pointedly, "If you weren't considering it?"

"I'm NOT considering it!" Cameron once again drove her fists down into the fine hardwood table, creating cracks and splinters, "I would never allow myself to give in to my urges!"

Nodding, Weaver slowly sat down again, eyeing the machine's fists and the damage she caused. "And that is all I wanted. For you to admit to yourself that those urges exist. Now it is up to you what you do about them."

With a small smile, she slid her keyboard over and started carrying on with her work as if nothing had happened, as if she didn't have a volatile emotional wreck of a machine with her fists driven deep into her desk. "If it makes you feel any better, I believe your human will accept you no matter your decision. For the supposed leader of humanity, he seems exceptionally weak willed in your presence."

Maintaining her glare at the smug machine, Cameron's brow eventually twitched as she, for some reason, started getting upset about this whole situation. "I…I need to go. I need to be with my John."

Anything that would absolve her of her guilt was worthwhile for Cameron. Being with John, showing him how much she cared for him would alleviate these feelings, she was sure of it.

Weaver nodded crisply, "Go home and enjoy your human. I take it his training is progressing at pace?"

"Yes," Cameron nodded, all business again despite her eyes glistening with unshed tears. The emotion of this meeting getting to her, "He will be ready."

"Good, I was worried." The machine displayed an overt look of distaste, "I detected an odd concentration of diseased particles on you when you arrived."

"Diseased particles?" Cameron asked midway to the door, already intent on getting home to her John.

Weaver glanced up distractedly, waving a hand in the air at the same time, "A large concentration of acute viral Rhinopharyngitis."

"John is fine," Cameron confirmed with a nod. "His family is sick."

"Chicken soup helps." Weaver looked back at her screen with a fond smile, "And warm baths to loosen the mucus deposits. Savannah found the infection exceedingly uncomfortable."

Despite her foul mood, Cameron couldn't suppress a small smirk at the memory of Amy feeding Sarah chicken soup by the spoonful. Catching herself though, she brushed those thoughts aside in favour of her immense irritation at the sheer nonchalance of the other machine, acting like nothing was amiss after toying with her like that. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Weaver."

"You can collect the crates at the loading dock on your way out." Reading something on her screen, Weaver actually did roll her eyes this time, "And tell your human John Henry says 'Hello'."

* * *

Cameron couldn't ever remember being more angry in her life.

Tearing through traffic like it didn't exist, the only thought she could focus on was the desire to get back to her John. The psychological workover Weaver had given her had put her into such a state that she hadn't even bothered picking up any of the crates from Zeira's loading bay.

Instead she'd just took off, tyres squealing in the underground car park as she left for home, wanting to see John, to make it all better. Not that she deserved him anyway.

Right now, Cameron hated herself. She hated the way she'd given in to her darker desires. She'd imagined herself hurting John, and she'd liked it.

How could she do that to her John? She was supposed to protect him, not hurt him. Imagining it, which is exactly what she'd done, was just as bad as actually _doing_ it. It proved she had desires and urges she couldn't control, and that thought scared her, probably more than the prospect of John actually coming to harm.

She didn't think she would be able to live with the guilt of knowing that she desired to harm her John, that it gave her a thrill to think about it. It could only be her Skynet programming manifesting itself in her conscious state, that was the only explanation.

How could she let that happen, letting her control slip like that? She fought the order to terminate John Connor every day, every time she laid eyes upon her lover, she had to forcefully cancel the order to kill him, to rip his head off and hang it on a pike for all to see. It was only this carefully created wall around her base programming that kept her remotely level and normal. If she lost that, well, she didn't want to consider what could happen to John.

But it took Weaver's no doubt carefully chosen words to bring that side of herself out. Ignoring the motorist to her left flipping her the finger, Cameron turned her thoughts to that…bitch, Weaver. She'd set out to provoke her, she was sure of it. She was determined to damage her relationship with John.

It was all her fault that she was feeling this way. Before today she'd never even considered bringing any harm to her John, but now, all she could think about was the fact that she'd actually wanted to, she had the desire to scratch and claw the skin off his face so vividly it still flashed in her vision as she drove.

She wanted to claw the face off Weaver, she had to be honest. She wanted to watch her burn for making her think these things about her John. A few weeks ago this would never have happened. Hell, one week ago this would never have happened. If only she could get rid of these feelings, clear out her systems, everything would be perfect again.

Yes, that was what needed to be done, she had to find that one big release…she had to be with her John, he could make this better. She hadn't been used to these sexually related feelings for long, but all she did know was that she enjoyed them, they gave her pleasure, they gave her release, they would give her the calm she desired.

Her entire body shivered as she contemplated what she needed to do. Whether or not John would be expecting it, he wouldn't have a clue what was about to hit him. Cameron had a mission, and cyborgs were nothing if not determined.

* * *

**Next chapter will be bumped up to an M for...aherm...adult content! :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi,**

**Apologies for the delay in publishing this. I wanted to get it right, because it's... important.**

* * *

"Pardon me!" Trying to ignore the disgusted glare he was receiving from his girlfriend, Derek refocused his attention back on the ball game. In all honesty he was still struggling to weed out some of the less appealing aspects of his personality, most notably on this occasion, letting out a killer burp when snuggled a couple of inches away from a lady.

Whatever. It was mostly her fault anyway, she'd provided takeout pizza and beer, did she really expect him not to devour it and then savour the after effects of a full belly and a couple of pre game brews? Either way it was turning out to be a good day.

They'd been out to see some movie earlier, and he was highly impressed that she'd let him choose. Otherwise the day might not have been so peachy if they'd ended up watching a chick flick, so an action epic it was. Then she'd insisted on getting pizza for the family, mostly a peace offering for getting them all sick. He'd had a day with no machines in his hair, no pissed off humans, and generally enjoyed his time with his girlfriend.

"You know, my friend Mary used to date the second basedude."

Both John and Derek looked at Jessica like she'd just spat on their shoes. Baseball could be considered a complicated game…so many acronyms, RBI, ERA, OBA. But they both thought everyone should at least know the names of the fielding positions. It would take either an idiot or some sort of clueless foreigner not to know.

"The second basedude? Babe, you gotta learn to be less…girly, about stuff like this."

"Oh…" She quirked a brow, racking her brains for the correct term, "Um…second plate? It's plate, right?"

"No you're right, it's second base, but the term is second baseman." John corrected as he shuffled the dead weight of Amy around on top of him, her elbow digging into his guts a little.

When they'd settled down to watch the game, she'd declared that there was no room on the couch because 'Aunt Jessica and Uncle Derek are hogging it'. Sarah wasn't really in the mood to snuggle with her again, and so she'd slouched out on top of John. The last thing he wanted was a hundred pounds of cold machine sprawled out on top of him…especially when she kept digging extremities into sensitive areas.

"See, Derek?" Jessica smiled as she good naturedly slapped Derek's shoulder, "I was right…mostly. How are you doing over there, Sarah? Want more pizza?"

Halfway to reaching for the nearest box to her, Jessica was halted when Sarah held up a hand. She wasn't sure why, but she wasn't fully warming up to the model just yet, "I'm good. How did you know we all like pepperoni anyway?"

"Are you kidding?" Jessica asked with a less than ladylike snort…Derek must've been rubbing off on her, "The boyfriend here practically lives off the stuff. I kinda figured you all liked it too. I'm just bummed out Cameron didn't get any. Where is she anyways?"

"She's at a stupid appointment," Amy chimed in, bored with the baseball game. Although she was in the middle of entertaining herself by seeing how often she could get John to either grunt in frustration or physically move her around. A well placed elbow here and there worked a treat for the purpose.

"Oh…" Quickly racking her brains, Jessica's face turned into a frown at the obvious conclusion, "The doctor? I didn't get her sick too, did I?"

"It's, owwww, Amy!" John let out a low growl as he once again was forced to shift the mini machine's weight around. A small fist making contact with…areas fists should never come into contact with, would have any guy glaring at the little girl sprawled out on top of him, machine or not. "It's nothing important, just something she has to do every once in a while."

"Oh?" Again being forced to think fast, her eyes widened when she once again came to another obvious conclusion. Leaning close to Derek, Jessica didn't want Sarah to overhear this, for obvious reasons, "You think she took my advice? Went down to get some birth control?"

Derek almost choked on his own tongue. Thankfully the beer in his mouth stopped him from that fate. Either way he ended up in a coughing fit, Jessica gently rubbing his back not making the situation any better, "Uh…something…like that."

Smiling, Jessica had to admit she was happy and a little proud of herself for playing the role of the 'helpful aunt', glad her friend seemed to be figuring things out with where she was in her life. "What about you John? Not many teenagers would be chilling with the 'rental units on a Friday night. Shouldn't you be out terrorising some poor young thing?"

Unable to entirely suppress a grin at Jessica's 'down with the kids' act, John nodded. She was nice, and caring, in a rich beyond your wildest dreams supermodel kinda way. "The girlfriend is busy tonight, hence why I'm gracing you guys with my presence."

"Derek was saying he didn't want to drive me all the way across town tonight," She rolled her eyes at how ridiculously flimsy that cover was, after all, she had a driver to call 24/7. Earning herself a grunt from her man, everyone in the room knew she just wanted an excuse to spend the night, "So I'll probably sleep here. Any chance I'll meet her tomorrow?"

"Who?" John asked distractedly, an RBI double in the second inning grabbing his attention. Not to mention the machine fidgeting again in his lap. Nudging her up and away, he tried not to let his discomfort show too much. And yet, despite his annoyance, he'd still kept an arm wrapped tightly around her little waist pretty much since she'd first crawled on top of him.

If he'd thought about it properly, he'd have probably tried to convince himself it was all for appearances. It would look odd to Jessica if he didn't keep an arm securely around his little sister to stop her slipping. But in the end, he hadn't really thought about it, he'd just done it. Amy had a way of doing that, of making you forget what she really was.

"Your girlfriend." Jessica replied, chuckling when Amy threw another elbow into John's ribs, "I'm sorry…I can't remember her name."

"Oh, it's uh…" John realised at that moment that he'd never had to mention this supposed 'girlfriend' in anything more than passing before. Thinking quickly, he came up with something a split second later, grinning wide when he thought about Cameron's surname, "It's Philippa."

"Wooooww," Jessica smiled, sounding mildly impressed, "Exotic. Is she latina?"

John shook his head, having to tread carefully now that this girl actually 'existed'. His situation wasn't helped when he suddenly felt three extra sets of eyes on him, "No, she's white, just has an exotic sounding name."

"Philippa." Rolling the name off her tongue, she tried to force herself to remember it. No sooner than she'd said it though, the shortened version of the name set her off on another of her 'shiny new thing' tangents, "Oooohhh, Derek! Babe, you should have been there. I swear I'm not making it up, I ran into Pippa herself in London! She was at my show! _My_ show!"

"That's nice…" Derek replied half heartedly, distracted by the game, "Who?"

"What do you mean 'who'?" Looking absolutely scandalised, Jessica sat up to make her point. "Her and her sister are setting the fashion trends for half the planet! I swear, you can be _such_ a guy sometimes. I am gonna have to get you a few magazi…" Interrupted mid sentence, the whole of the room looked up when the front door was slammed so hard it made the walls rattle all around them.

Unaffected by it though, Amy nudged John with her elbow, "Cameron's home!"

"Think you can get off me now, then? Go bug her?" John asked, hoping beyond hope.

"Pffft, please." Shuffling to her side to face John properly, Amy casually poked his cheek, "She's only interested in her 'brother' these days."

Remaining oddly focused on the ball game, Sarah took a long pull from her beer, only glancing up when she caught sight of Cameron entering from the hallway behind her, "Hey Tin…hey, Cameron, I thought you were going to mow the lawn today?"

Breezing past Sarah without a second thought, Cameron entered the room properly, "John! You're alright!"

"Of course I am." Quirking a brow at his loving girlfriend's disheveled appearance, and the flustered expression on her face, he tried to shift Amy's weight around so he could get a better look, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Quickly striding over to him, and blocking the TV for three people in the process, she gripped Amy under her arms and hoisted her off of John. Unceremoniously dumping the other machine on her feet, Cameron held her hand out to him, looking like she was on the verge of chewing through her lower lip, such was the ferocity she was gnawing at it, "Come with me."

"It's only the third inning Prin…uh, Cameron." Motioning towards the confused looking couple on the couch, John tried to make her aware she was blocking the TV for them.

Reluctantly tearing her attention away from her John, she barely acknowledged the rooms other occupants before she turned back, still chewing her bottom lip, "Please?"

"Cameron!" Sarah snapped with a frown as she glanced over at the confused and quite frankly hurt look on the model's face, "You're being rude, and you never answered me before."

"No I haven't mowed the lawn!" Cameron yelled in Sarah's general direction as she kept her eyes locked on John, desperately trying to fight off the urge to just pick him up and haul him upstairs. Hell, if they didn't have company she probably would, no matter how much of a freak she would look.

Amy glanced between Cameron and Jessica from her spot on the floor, trying not to let her grin slip through. She should've been taking this seriously, after all, she knew exactly what was going on, but nobody else did, and she knew that Jessica couldn't see what was about to happen. "Um…Cammy? Maybe you should relax for a while. Wanna go play a game?"

"No!" Cameron replied a split second later, remaining solely focused on an increasingly worried looking John, "John, please…I need you."

"Cameron," Sarah by now had forgotten about the game, and was starting to look just about as worried as John. Quickly flicking her eyes over to the model, she saw the look on her face only worsening with Cameron's behaviour. Slipping into 'mom' mode, she tried to sound stern, "Don't talk to your sister like that!"

Amy, having seen enough to recognise Cameron's behaviour, skipped her way over to the couch and looked at Jessica with an adorable pout, "Will you play with me Aunt Jessica? I'm bored of this baseball thingy."

Glancing back and forth between a clearly worried Sarah and a still unresponsive Cameron, Jessica couldn't say she understood just what the hell was going on. Either way though, she could never resist Amy when she was being that damn cute, so she looked back at Derek for approval, "That alright with you, Babe? I can run her down to the park on the corner."

"Sure, sounds great, Babe." Derek sat up and allowed her to move while he kept his voice calm and even. His eyes however never left the cyborg doing an odd imitation of a statue in the middle of the room, still with her arm extended towards John.

"I'll have her back in an hour, Sarah!" Jessica called over her shoulder as Amy physically dragged her out of the front door.

Now alone, John didn't waste any time in springing up off the couch, taking Cameron's face in his hands, "What's wrong, Princess?"

Cameron's eyes never leaving his as he stood, they finally fluttered closed when he made contact, her entire body shaking from his touch, "Need you…"

"What she needs is to concentrate on keeping her cover!" Sarah snapped, interrupting the private moment between the couple, rising to her feet dangerously, "I thought you were supposed to be an infiltrator?"

Levelling what he hoped was a sufficiently scathing glare at his mother, John focused on Cameron, "Just talk to me…what do you need? What's wrong?"

After a moment, Cameron leaned forward, her face tightening as if it were physically painful holding back even this much, "Please John…I want…it's so hard."

Chest tightening at her words, John had no clue what was bothering his love, only that she seemed to need him more than ever. Not knowing what else to do, he gently stroked her cheek, trying to calm her down, "Please, tell me what you need me to do."

Leaning her head into the contact, Cameron closed the small distance between them, taking in his scent, revelling in his touch. Her hand ran almost subconsciously over his abs and up to his chest, settling over his heart, "I need…release."

Shaking his head momentarily, John glanced down at the odd behaviour of her hand on his chest. Then it suddenly clicked what she wanted, his eyes widening in surprise, "Rel…you need…sex?"

"Yes!" Hand tightening around the fabric, Cameron's simulated breathing came in short gasps, her chest heaving like John had never seen before, "It's the only thing that can stop these…urges!"

Nodding dumbly, John was unable to entirely suppress a grin, despite his concern, "Okay, let's head upstairs and take care of you."

In less than three steps, Cameron was past him, physically dragging him towards the stairs by his hand, repeating over and over like it would help, "Please…please…"

Sarah and Derek almost simultaneously leaped forward several paces at the behaviour of the cyborg. No matter how docile she'd become lately, Cameron was still a potentially lethal machine, and her actions were downright terrifying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell is she doing?" Derek asked, Sarah a beat behind him, eyes darting frantically to the shotgun hidden underneath the couch.

Cameron couldn't for the life of her work out why her John was resisting her efforts. He'd come to a stop, leaving her hand outstretched behind her. Face contorting as she turned to look at him in what could only be described as pain, "John? John…you promised!"

Looking back between his family and his love, John was torn over what to do, "It's okay Cameron, just gimme a minute."

"I'll be fine, we just need some time alone," He said, looking back at his family, feeling Cameron's grip tighten as she pulled feebly on his hand.

Sarah barged Derek out of the way, looking on the verge of trying to wedge herself between her son and the metal, a wild look in Cameron's eyes making her protective instinct kick in with a vengeance, "John…the last time she looked like that it took a truck to stop her!"

"Mom! Don't talk like that!" John gave his mother the withering glare that told her in no uncertain terms to sit the hell down and to shut up, "She has NOT gone bad, we just need to work something out. Alone."

"Work WHAT out?" Sarah bit back, intimidated slightly by his look, not used to seeing the Connor glare levelled at her. Tearing her gaze away from his livid looking face, she turned her attention to Cameron, "What in the hell has gotten into you?"

Stepping between the pair, trying to shield Cameron from his mother's hostility, John tried hard to hold back his temper, realising Cameron needed him now more than an argument, "Mom! I said we'll be fine. I'll see you later."

"John…JOHN!" Sarah stood, mouth agape as she watched the cyborg drag her son out of the room and up the stairs. Internally debating storming after him, she eventually realised it wouldn't do any good, and so she stood and glared at the backs of their head, feeling more helpless than she could remember.

* * *

"Dinosaurs ruled the world over a hundred million years ago. The P…P…Petero…Peterodac…Mom? What's this word?"

Looking up from her book, Savannah waited for an answer from her mother, who had so far remained quiet, only prompting when asked.

"Pterodactyl, sweetheart. The 'P' is silent, you don't say it."

"Oh." Savannah elongated the word as she looked back down at the book in her lap, "Pte-ro-dac-tyl."

"Well done," Smiling in reply to her daughter, Catherine Weaver tightened the arm around her waist just a little, enough to let the child know her mother was pleased with her efforts. Admittedly the book was a little advanced for her age, but once John Henry had introduced her to the concept of dinosaurs, Savannah hadn't relented in her quest for knowledge on the subject.

As Savannah carried on her reading assignment, sounding out the difficult words just the way her friend the cyborg had encouraged her to do, Catherine mused on many things. Her mind was capable of processing at rates beyond human comprehension, but she occasionally liked to allow it to drift at a slower pace. One of the few pleasures of her development, the ability to control her complex mind the way not many machines were capable of.

Her mind drifted to her recent meeting with the enigmatic cyborg known as Cameron Phillips. For all her vast knowledge, experience and intelligence, she couldn't fathom why this specimen was allowing a human to…violate her. In fact, just thinking about it made her face contort into a frown, that was until Savannah looked back at her, to which she smiled encouragingly at the child.

Cameron was clearly in love with the human, or at least, she thought she was. Love was such a…human concept. She had no doubts that Savannah loved her, she believed John Connor loved Cameron. But what she couldn't understand was a machine, loving a human…romantically anyway.

She herself had some rather conflicting thoughts about her daughter. At first she was little more than a nuisance, but now as she sat drawing her fingers gently through the little girl's long red hair, she considered how their relationship had changed. Ever since visiting Dr. Sherman, she'd come to accept Savannah as an important part of her existence, at least as much as John Henry was. Was this some form of love? Or merely a means to an end?

No, there couldn't be any reason for her to be casually caressing her hair right now, or for her to be cradling the child in her lap while she read. There was no purpose, no goal. In fact, it was impeding her in her work. She could've been progressing with any number of tasks in the time she'd spent with Savannah, but instead she chose to help with her reading. The book itself held little interest to the machine, she was far more interested in watching her child work her way through the words, feeling a small swell of…was it pride? Was she feeling proud of her little girl for accomplishing the simple task of reading an eleven letter word from a page?

Whatever it was, she found herself not minding in the slightest that she wasn't accomplishing anything. She actually couldn't think of anything she'd rather be doing right now than spending time with her daughter. Was this how Cameron felt when she was with her human?

Could it be that the cyborg felt the same way, in that so long as she was with her man, nothing else mattered? She was supposed to protect him, but Weaver had it on good authority that the lovestruck machine hadn't been on any nightly patrols for the best part of a month. That job had been passed to the other one.

Ah yes, the other one, the one her Savannah had taken a liking to. In fact only this morning had she pleaded to go and see her friend again. A stern 'no' had resulted in a prolonged period of sulking, and it had lasted until Catherine had closed her laptop, patted her leg and invited Savannah to come sit with her while she read. Children were remarkably easy to please in matters like this. If only that other 'child' was the same.

Amy was dangerous, unpredictable. A machine with no programming was one thing. But a massively damaged machine with no programming, whom nobody knew her true intentions, and as if that wasn't bad enough, a machine that held a grudge against her. Catherine Weaver didn't like the unpredictable, she liked to be in control, she liked to know everything. She exercised that desire in her meeting with Cameron, showing the cyborg who was in control, who was in charge.

By exposing the true nature of the former Skynet slave, she was convinced she was helping all involved. If Cameron didn't embrace her desires and urges, they would destroy her. If not her, then her human pet would surely suffer a worse fate. By repressing her Skynet programming, Cameron was running the risk of her newfound emotions erupting in ways she couldn't control. No matter how much she cared for those around her, some day she would lash out without thought or restraint. She'd revert to her base instincts. She'd harm. She'd maim. She'd kill.

By no means would indulging herself be a long term solution, but it would prevent driving herself crazy with repressed emotions she didn't understand. Somehow though she had a feeling the man she loved wouldn't hold it against her should she choose to behave a certain way during intimacy. What she knew of John Connor, this John Connor at least, he wouldn't raise a finger to anybody he cared about. He had yet to develop that…ruthless streak she so admired of the future version of the man.

But her intentions notwithstanding, she now knew she had Cameron where she wanted her. Under her thumb, under her control. She knew which buttons to push to provoke the potentially troublesome machine, how to manipulate her to meet her needs. But Amy on the other hand was still a threat, and she needed a way to neutralise that threat.

Needless to say, Catherine's mind started working again, formulating plan after plan, theory after theory on how the liquid metal menace could be dealt with. A sly smile spreading across her lips, she turned her attention back to her daughter, a page about the Tyrannosaurus Rex holding her attention. Squeezing the little girl tight, Catherine rested her chin atop her daughter's head, Savannah smiling widely in response as she read.

* * *

Arm almost being yanked out of it's socket, John felt like a rag doll as he was swung around to smack into the recently closed door, the force of Cameron slamming it seemingly rattling the entire house. The next thing he knew he had a very frantic cyborg pushing her tongue as far as she could get it down his throat. Ordinarily he wouldn't have complained, but his back stung like hell.

Feeling her cold hands slip under the hem of his shirt, he couldn't focus on anything more than trying to keep his balance as she tugged at the fabric, his head slamming into the door. "Ca…" Was all he could manage before her tongue shoved into his mouth again. His hands started to roam subconsciously too, skimming over her waist and up to her breasts.

Forcing herself to detach for a moment with a groan of annoyance mingled with desire, she pulled his shirt off over his head, discarding it over her shoulder before pressing back against him. Framing his face with her impossibly strong hands, she kissed him again, moaning against his lips, her body still shaking with desire.

Finally, Cameron allowed him the 'luxury' of breathing. John pulled back, sucking in some much needed oxygen with a shake of his head, Cameron's eyes looked wild, almost feral, "Are you…sure…you're okay?"

What could only be described as a low growl escaped her throat without any conscious thought from herself, just a moment before she lurched forward, her breathing coming in short gasps as she kissed him again, cursing the human need to breathe interrupting her. Hands roaming freely over his chest, his sides, his hair, his cheeks, anywhere she could find, they eventually settled on his belt buckle where she started tugging impatiently at the infernal thing.

Letting out a yelp as his back slammed into the doorknob again, John felt pain lancing up his spine while his hands gripped the sides of her slim waist tight, "Please…talk to me. Did I do this?"

Finally losing patience with the fact her human wanted to talk and not strip her naked already, Cameron stepped back, a murderous glare in place at his non compliance, "Do you not want this?"

Shrinking a little under her obvious anger, John was shocked to see it directed at him, "I always want you. I just…I want to know why."

"So now I need a reason to want sex with my boyfriend?" Staring at him incredulously, Cameron's glare made it seem like she really did blame him for making her feel this way. Fists flexing subconsciously by her side, weeks of pent up tension and emotion were on the verge of spilling over, and John didn't want to see what would happen if it did.

"Honey..." Reaching up, John gently cupped the side of her face, tenderly caressing her cheek, "You seem more...angry, than aroused. I'm just worried about you. I love you."

Closing her eyes, Cameron grunted in annoyance low in her throat. Summoning up all the restraint she could manage, she leaned into his touch as she realised he was right, she was just angry. Leaning closer, she kissed him again, a lot slower and gentler than the frenzied kissing she'd been enjoying a moment ago.

After a moment, she felt John's smile against her lips, his tongue slipping into her mouth as he reached up to remove her shirt. "My Cameron..."

Glad that her slow human had finally taken the hint, Cameron spun them around and started nudging him back towards the bed, allowing him to continue kissing her the entire way as one hand worked on removing her bra behind her back. In truth, she'd only slowed down because it seemed the only way to get him to do what she wanted and stop whining about it. Sometimes his behaviour was endearing, and others it was simply infuriating.

Cameron having already undone his belt, John shimmied his pants down his legs the best he could while stumbling backward, trying to kiss her at the same with mixed results, "What...do...you want?"

Pushing them both forward with a surprising amount of force, they both collapsed onto the bed, the springs creaking beneath their combined weight. "You."

After making her relatively simple demand, she leaned in to attack the tender skin on his neck, her nails digging into his chest, pushing even more weight onto him.

Letting out a sharp breath laced with pain when her nails dragged down his chest, John's eyes widened as he stared at the ceiling, "I got that much. What...oh shit...should I do?"

Hesitating for only a split second, tongue still on his skin, Cameron sat up and looked down at her lover's confused face. She knew what she wanted, she knew it was wrong to want it, she knew she shouldn't ask. But something in her chip was screaming at her to do it, to feel and indulge in the new found sensations, "Bite me...hurt me. Please John...I need it."

"I..." Never before had John seen Cameron looking so desperate, so pleading, so much that her grip on his chest had tightened in the moments it was taking him to reply. But this was his Cameron, and John, no matter how much she pleaded just couldn't imagine hurting her on purpose, especially when the sensations she was craving were new to her, "I don't want to hurt you. I love you."

Nails digging into his skin as her fists tightened on his chest, Cameron felt a flash of anger as she glared down at him. She'd said please, what more did he want? If he wasn't willing to be the first to do it, then she'd have to take it upon herself to force him to do what she wanted. Leaning down, she burrowed her head in the crook of his neck, then in an imitation of what he did for her, she gently teased the skin with her tongue, lavishing attention on that spot she knew he liked. Then, catching John by surprise, she bit down on the flesh, obviously much softer than she was capable of, but still enough to make John's entire body squirm with pain.

Feeling his teeth clamp shut under the pain, John idly wondered if his girlfriend had just managed to draw blood and he felt warmth pooling near the bite. His hands gripped her sides tighter, "Hurts…Cameron."

His words forcing her to hesitate for a split second, she realised she felt a thrill in hearing his words. Pausing, she tried to work through her desire clouded mind, the emotions she was feeling. Desires fighting with logic, excitement battling…regret.

She didn't _want_ to be like Weaver told her she would be, she didn't _want_ to hurt her John, but the pleasure she got from it was something she wasn't prepared for, it was powerful, overwhelming. Her only chance now would be if John started to reciprocate, to relieve the burden of her having to do this, "Please…John, do this…for me."

Finally unclenching his jaw and opening his eyes, he found his Cameron hovering above him. Staring into her eyes for what seemed like the longest few seconds, he realised he'd never seen her looking so desperate, so forlorn. He knew then and there he would do anything he could to keep her from feeling that way, no matter how much he disliked her apparent method for relieving her tension.

Sliding his hands up the side of her face, he brushed her long hair over her shoulder. Leaning closer, he ran his tongue up over the side of her neck, before returning her bite full force, at the same time trying to shimmy her jeans down her legs.

Cameron's entire body shivered from the sensation, pain mingling with pleasure forcing her to collapse forward on her arms. "John…" Her words coming in the form of a breathy moan, it was all she could do to get him to continue his ministrations.

Shoving her jeans as far down as her calves, John forced a shaky, uncertain smile, "You need this?"

Nodding shakily against his neck, Cameron gently and tenderly kissed his neck, the spot she bit earlier. As much as she wanted more, she still felt bad for hurting him, guilty even. As she kissed, she froze, something trickling into her mouth causing her body to tense completely, her gentle kissing coming to a sudden halt.

Laying back, John pulled her down with him, framing her face with his hands so she could look him in the eyes. "Then do what you need to do, okay? No matter what…I love you."

Mouth still hanging slightly agape, Cameron forcefully fought down the urges she was feeling, her thighs rubbing together subconsciously, her tongue running along the length of her lips. "W, will you do the same?"

"Do you...need that too?" John asked, still uncomfortable with the idea of doing her any real harm, no matter how strong she was.

Taking a moment to discard the jeans and underwear bunched around her ankles, Cameron nodded. Looking like it was taking a monumental effort to even restrain herself this much, she answered him honestly, "Yes. Please John, I need it. I need you."

Reaching up, John slid his hand into her hair and pulled her down for a long, deep kiss, "Just…tell me…where."

A split second later Cameron had flipped her hair over one shoulder, exposing her neck, still red and tender from where he'd bitten her earlier. Before John had even processed what she was doing, she'd grabbed his wrists and roughly placed his hands on her breasts, squeezing them tight.

Fighting back a hiss and a grimace at the pressure she was putting on his relatively frail wrists, John kissed and nibbled along her neck while tweaking her nipples only slightly harder than he usually did. He was still reluctant to cause her real pain, the first time she'd discovered she could feel so much she'd been shocked…he was afraid to go too far.

Letting go of a low growl at his reluctance, Cameron let go of his wrists and raked her nails down his chest, trying to push her neck closer to his lips, "Please…"

John's back rising up off the mattress in a cringe, his hands contracted out of instinct, eyes widening at the sounds coming from his girlfriend's mouth. Trying to keep her from recovering and getting angry again, he reluctantly sunk his teeth into the synthetic flesh of her neck. Wondering just how far she'd be taking his, he looked up in surprise when he felt her shudder in his arms.

In a flourish of movement, Cameron's hands tightened, her nails digging into his chest, breaking the skin. Grabbing him by the shoulders, she hauled him up off the bed. Now in his lap, she roughly pushed his head into her chest, demanding that he repeat his actions there.

"No…"Shaking his head, John tried to pull away from her iron grip, remembering for the first time in a while just how strong she was, "We're…together here. I will help you…but I won't just hurt you, no matter how much you think it's what you need. Come here."

"You're…you're denying me?" Cameron looked down, devastation clear on her face as she kept her hand on the back of his head.

"Shhh…" Trying desperately to calm her down, he gently stroked her back, "We'll do it your way, I promise. But…I feel weird doing this…when we're not even having sex yet."

"Oh…" Frowning when she realised that was his only problem, she flopped back onto the bed, pulling him down with her. Without even letting him recover from being moved around like a rag doll, she threaded her hand around the back of his head and pulled him down for another deep kiss, sucking his bottom lip between hers momentarily.

With one last pensive look at her face, John gently brought them together, his eyes widening when he realised Cameron was far more aroused than he'd ever felt her before. Starting a slow, steady rhythm, the kind that she always seemed to enjoy, John hoped to keep a slow pace and not let things get out of hand. He had a problem though, "Need…breathe…"

Almost as soon as she felt him start moving, Cameron's teeth clamped down on his lip, her body tingling in ways she'd never felt before, making her lose control. She barely heard his plea for oxygen, instead all she could focus on was these feelings, these very, very good feelings.

The distinct taste of copper rushed into his mouth, making John gag a little while trying to pull back for breath, the arms holding him above her shaking both in pain and lack of air. "Cameron…please."

Finally letting go of his lip, Cameron resumed her kissing, holding his head in place with her impossibly strong hand. Tightening the arms and legs wrapped around him, the taste of John Connor's blood set off all sorts of warnings and alerts in her HUD, the thing flickering wildly as she revelled in the sensations she was feeling, losing herself to them.

While listening to her groaning in pleasure every time he moved, John started getting a little angry that she didn't seem to be listening. For all the restraint he'd shown earlier, he finally started responding the way she wanted, his thrusts coming harder and harder, nibbling and biting at her lip the way she was doing to him.

At his first hard thrust, Cameron's head flopped helplessly onto the pillow, her eyes glassy and unfocused with a slight blue gleam behind them, "Harder…"

Looking down at his normally gentle and loving Cameron, her lips stained with his blood, her eyes wild, John felt a momentary pang of guilt for doing this to her. For introducing her to everything that makes the human race so evil. He knew she still didn't truly understand _why_ she wanted the things she was demanding, and that thought scared him a lot more than the behaviour itself.

Frowning when his movement stopped, Cameron gripped a handful of hair at the back of his head and forced his mouth down to hers. But instead of kissing, and without any real thought, she found herself licking and sucking around his bottom lip, taking the soft flesh between her lips and trying to urge him on with her legs wrapped around his waist.

More than a little startled to find her eyes burning in the darkened room, John forced himself to continue, picking up speed and holding himself up with one hand. The other slowly drifting over her stomach, down through her soft curls, eventually landing on her centre.

Groaning into John's mouth, Cameron bucked upward with a scary amount of force at his touch. Blocking out everything but the sensations between her legs, Cameron was now truly lost in what she was feeling, all sense of recognition and logic gone in favour of wild desire and lust. Gripping his shoulders for leverage, she tried to match him thrust for thrust, her simulated breathing coming in short, ragged gasps.

In a surprising show of strength he wouldn't have been capable of a few months ago, John rolled them over, leaving her on top, his teeth dragging a jagged line down the side of her neck and undoubtedly leaving deep marks in the process, "Do it Cameron…whatever you need."

Rocking back and forth in what was quickly becoming her favourite movement, Cameron leaned down and kissed him again, wanting to sample the thrill that she got earlier when she tasted his blood. If she'd been thinking clearly she'd have been overwhelmed by guilt and regret. But something else was driving her now, something buried deep and repressed, something primal…something dark and evil.

Despite fresh blood trickling from his lip when she bit down again, John wasn't immune to the sensations. Despite the pain, despite the oddness, this was still his Cameron - the sexiest thing he'd ever laid eyes or mind on, and she was obviously enjoying herself more than she ever had before. Even that first night when she'd found her release, she wasn't acting like this, she wasn't making those noises, and despite himself…all he wanted was to hear more.

Forcing herself to detach from his lip, his blood staining hers, she buried her head in his neck. Sucking gently on the spot she bit earlier, she wrapped her arms around his back, her nails scraping down the tender skin, "John…need…more."

Frowning just a little, already about as close to the limits of human endurance as possible, he'd flipped them over for that very reason - he just couldn't keep up the pace. "What…do you…need?"

Almost immediately, Cameron laid her hands on his chest and started moving more vigorously, intent on reaching the climax that was building quickly. Craning her neck, she took his earlobe between her teeth and bit down, shivering from the thrill it gave her when he hissed in pain. "Close…more."

Threading a hand through her hair, John gripped the back of her neck for leverage. Pulling himself up, he kissed her chest with relish. Working his way over to a nipple, he debated with himself for a few seconds before leaning in and running a tongue along the edge. Waiting for her moan of approval, he bit down far more gently than he usually did on her neck.

Hissing in a mixture of pleasure and pain, Cameron looked down to see John's lips and her nipple stained with his blood. Her entire body shivered when she saw it, taking a thrill from the knowledge that only she would ever see John Connor this vulnerable. Pushing his head tighter to her chest with one hand, she dug the other into his chest. Her nails on the verge of piercing the skin, her weight and movements so intense that he'd likely bruise after this.

Despite the pain, despite the doubt, John knew this was what Cameron needed, her desperate mewls only spurring him on as he drove his hips up so hard, bruises were a forgone conclusion. Nibbling his way across her chest to her other nipple, he teased around the very edge of it, smiling when she moaned with pleasure. "Please…so close…"

Grinning, John watched her face twist in delight as he bit down hard on the sensitive flesh, thrusting as hard as he could, his own release just seconds away, "I…love you…"

Cameron couldn't hold the building sensations any longer, pleasure tearing through her body, she released weeks of pent up emotion, frustration and desire in the form of a piercing cry. Muffling the noise a moment later in the crook of his neck, she bit down on the skin as she rode the waves of her climax.

Her head swam with warning messages, most informing her of various overloads, some informing her of some systems shutting down…but a few were screaming at her that John Connor was injured, that he was bleeding. She was vaguely aware of him grunting underneath her, followed by his laboured breathing and a lack of movement, his own climax reaching him seconds after hers.

"P…Princess? Talk to me…" After a session like that, all John could do was try to catch his breath, take stock of what just happened. As he felt Cameron go limp and slump on top of him, he did all he could think of and gently stroked her hair. He didn't like one little bit the way she kept shivering, her entire body shuddering every few seconds, the occasional whimper accompanying it.

Making soft shushing noises, John kept up his gentle ministrations and waited for the worst of it to subside before even trying to speak to her, "Honey…did I hurt you?"

After a moment of looking down at her, her head rising and falling on his chest in time with his breathing, Cameron looked up at him. Her eyes looked glazed over, she looked…lost.

Just as he was starting to really worry, she surprised him when she reached up and gripped his chin in one hand. Craning her neck up, she kissed him. Smiling into the kiss, it quickly turned to a frown when John felt her tongue snaking around his lip, and the sound of a soft moan filled his ears.

Thinking they were 'done', John was definitely worried by her actions, and even more startled when he pulled back to find her eyes burning blue again, "What…what was that for?"

Ignoring his question, Cameron seemed oddly fixated on his lips. Slowly, she ran her fingertip over his lips, then dipped it into his mouth. After a moment of watching that finger like a hawk, she withdrew it and slowly brought it to her own mouth, licking it clean with a satisfied groan.

"C…Cameron?" Trying futilely to lock eyes with her, John tried anything to get her attention, "What's going on? What are you doing?"

Framing her face with his hands, John searched for any signs of the woman he loved. She was in there somewhere, but at the minute she just looked lost. Her eyes were glazed over, her mouth hung open and she seemed to be looking through him, not at him.

Brushing her hair back behind her ear with one hand, John was on the verge of a panic attack when he saw her blink, for what seemed like the first time since she'd buried her head in his shoulder and cried out in ecstasy, a sign that she was even aware of her actions.

"Cameron, honey, what's wrong...please..." Again looking for any sign she'd even heard him, he was bordering on stark panic, in fact when she spoke, it actually startled him.

"I love you." With his hands framing her face, Cameron spoke in a soft voice, eyes remaining unfocused.

"Please, tell me if there's something wrong, because I...wait, what?" His brow knitted together, a strange contrast with the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Love you." Again it was a small declaration, but it made John's heart soar, his face lighting up in ways nobody had seen for a long time.

"You, you love me? Really?" Gently stroking her cheek with his thumb, John couldn't ever remember being this overjoyed at hearing three little words.

Admittedly he was more than a little concerned by her behaviour, but at that moment he really couldn't care less. He suddenly felt like all the crap they'd been through, and would go through would be worth it. When he felt her confirm his question with a nod, his smile only grew.

He may have had blood smeared over his lips, his neck, his tongue. His body may have been battered and bruised. But as he leaned up to kiss the woman he loved, he couldn't care less how odd the past few minutes had been...she loved him!

Pulling back from the kiss with a wide smile, John gently brushed the hair out of her face before wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tight. Feeling her lay her head on his chest, John allowed his head to flop back onto the pillow, still grinning like an stroking her hair, John closed his eyes, his exertions catching up with him. "I love you too, Cameron. I love you too."

One thing he did know though was that when he fell asleep, he'd be doing it as the happiest man on the planet.

A he drifted off, fingers still tangled in her hair, little did he know the chaos occurring within the depths of Cameron's chip. As her eyelids flickered and her head twitched, a battle was being fought for dominance between her latent programming and her conscious self.

The conscious part of her mind would never have allowed what she just did to happen, she'd never knowingly hurt her John. But the repressed side, the more baser side, her Skynet elements, most certainly would. As she once told John, 'What was once there, will always be there'.

The fact that she'd just indulged in her desires to hurt and to harm had brought her Skynet driven nature and programming racing to the surface. It had taken control, feeding her chip and her body with sensation after sensation she shouldn't have been capable of feeling. It was like a drug, something she couldn't control, something she couldn't keep at bay, something fuelled by what she was doing to John.

So as she lay there, still in her post lovemaking bliss, her mind was in turmoil, caught somewhere in between her dark programming and her conscious self. Her personality was trying to regain control, trying to push the deeper levels of her programming back into the dark corner they'd came from. But until it could do that, she was caught in limbo, a relatively blank slate operating on a purely 'subconscious' level.

If her logic and reasoning circuits had been engaged, she'd have realised that was what had caused her to say she loved him. It was the truth.

Often times humans say what they mean when talking in their sleep. Their true intentions manifest and display themselves when the personality sections of the mind are dormant. In essence when she was like this, she was in a way, at her most honest and open.

Head twitching again, her grip tightened on John's chest beneath her, but he was in too deep a slumber to notice. In order to re-assert itself, her conscious personality was doing what it had to do to force the repressed programming back where it had came from. It was removing all traces of anything created and/or changed by it. In other words it was suppressing all memory and sensations manifested while she was under the influence of her Skynet nature.

The sensations she got from making love. The thrill she got from tasting John's blood. The satisfaction she gained from knowing that she was hurting him…it was wiping them all out, or at the very least sectioning them off so they couldn't be accessed or remembered.

Her chip was a learning computer. The most advanced processor on the planet save for Amy's. This was what it was designed and created for. To learn, to grow, to adapt…to defend itself. Her chip was 'Cameron', Cameron was her chip. But her chip contained many things that 'Cameron' didn't want to accept and acknowledge. In order to protect her, it had to bury certain things down deep, only to be brought out when ready and fully understood, or when triggered again by something exterior.

Neither Cameron nor John had any idea this was going on. Cameron was suppressed, her body and mind now operating at a level it never had before…and neither had any idea how she'd behave when she was lucid enough to even open her eyes again.

One thing was for certain though…Cameron really did love John, more than he'd ever know.

* * *

**Okay, before I get a dozen reviews complaining that I'm turning Cameron into something people don't like, all I ask for is your patience.**

**Please have faith in me. Everything is written for a reason, and everything has an explanation.**

**Now, go read the epilogue! :)**


	25. Epilogue

**Hopefully you're still with me...**

* * *

"Turn it off."

"What? You sure, boss?"

"Of course I'm bloody sure…and put those guns away, they won't do you any good anyway."

Rolling his eyes, Quinn watched as the three guards did as instructed and slung their assault rifles over their shoulders. Each man eyeing him sceptically, he pulled a small device out of his pocket. "Now, you each have one of these. Remember, this is all the weapon you'll ever need with this one."

Despite a few grumbles from the men, they each pulled out their own small, black device, identical to Quinn's. Turning it over in his hand, Tom looked up at his boss sceptically.

"Trust me." Was all he received from the Australian before he nodded at a point above their heads. "Go, take up your positions, and keep your bloody eyes open. I'm not paying you to stand around and look pretty."

Three glares followed, but each face eventually turned away and started filing through the only door in the room. Heading up the stairs that would bring them to their final position, Tom nudged his fellow guard, "Hey, is this guy serious? First of all he's turning the thing off, and then he says we don't need our guns. Sounds like he's got a major screw loose."

"I know what you mean." Nodding his agreement, Peyton looked down at the device in his hand, "What the hell can this thing possibly do? I mean, that thing down there is dangerous, right? Otherwise, why all this security, and why are we in full body armour and being told our guns are useless?"

"You heard the man, apparently this little device will stop whatever that thing is in its tracks, keep us safe." Turning his little black box over in his hands, Tom sincerely wondered if he was right to take this job in the first place. It was a lot of money, but something didn't quite add up about it. Secrecy he understood, but complete and utter mystery was something else entirely.

"Hey, whatever it is, you two yapping about it isn't helping." Aaron turned around and glowered at the two men behind him yammering like a couple of school girls. "Just shut up and do as the man says. Keep your eyes open, do a good job, we all get paid. Got it?"

Snapping off a mock salute, Peyton couldn't stifle a chuckle at the attitude of the man, "Jeez, what got up his ass and died?"

Shaking his head and trying to suppress a grin, Tom reached the top of the stairs and filed around to his position, the metal of the catwalk clanking beneath his boots. Peering over the edge, he watched as Quinn casually swung a chair into the middle of the room and sat down.

Looking up across to the other side of the catwalk, he watched as his two new 'friends' took up their positions, both peering down below them into the open area of the warehouse. They all watched in unison as Quinn nodded towards the viewing window behind him, and the loud hum that had been filling their ears shut off, plunging the room into an eerie silence.

It would've been unnerving, but Quinn didn't seem affected as he casually lit up a cigar and waited for something to happen, staring at the middle of the room in silence. Glancing up at his colleagues, Peyton found them all in the same boat as him, staring down into the room, awaiting what might happen next.

Raising his eyebrows for a moment, Quinn looked up at the supposed 'security', quivering like a bunch of fairies. He wished he could've had his own guys on the security detail, instead he was lumbered with these guys that Vasquez had insisted he use. The man may act the part of ruthless, calculated and intimidating, but he was nothing if not irritating. Especially when he stuck his nose into things that didn't concern him, like the security of a dangerous prisoner.

Either way, he was stuck with them, and he could only hope they would never be called upon to do anything more strenuous than stand there and keep their fucking eyes open like they'd been told to do. Tearing his attention away from the catwalk above his head, he refocused on the sight in front of him, casually inhaling a lungful of the sweet smoke from his cigar. Cohiba's, Cuban. Now that he was being paid a ludicrous amount, he could afford to splash out on a few of life's niceties.

As he was coolly inspecting the roll of tobacco and it's leaves, the metallic puddle in the middle of the room started to move. Slowly but surely, some of the smaller pieces merged with the largest, and a mound began to form in the middle. Looking up, Quinn caught sight of a couple of his men backing away from the railing as they watched the mound continue to rise. By now all the smaller pieces had merged, and the mass was growing.

Rolling his eyes at the actions of his security, Quinn watched as the puddle started to form into a bipedal shape. It took one step towards him when he held up the small device in it's hand to forestall it's movement.

"Ah, ah…I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Turning it's 'head' to face his hand, the mass of liquid metal did seem to hesitate for just a moment. Deciding that the object in the man's hand was no threat, it took another step forward towards the vulnerable, unprotected human in the chair, casually inhaling the cancer inducing tobacco smoke, staring at it with a smug grin.

Before it's leg had even come down to the ground, the mass felt a sudden surge of overwhelming pain. It tore through it's body, rendering it all but useless as it collapsed to it's knees, letting out a shrill metallic screech as it's systems were bombarded with agonising pain. In it's peripheral vision, it saw the human holding down a button on the small black object in it's hand, smiling down like he was taking some form of pleasure in inflicting the pain.

Unable to do much more than barely prop it's own weight up, Quinn watched as the liquid metal slumped to the ground, occasionally writhing in obvious agony.

"Huh…I like this thing." Carefully turning the remote over in his hands, the mercenary was thankful to his boss for at least one thing. When he said this thing would work, he was right…he was very right.

Letting the torture continue for a long few seconds, he eventually released his thumb off the button and watched the mass slump even further to the ground, it's incessant screeching stopped. Looking up at the catwalk, he watched as all three men looked down at the mass, then at their own remotes in their hands. The look of wonder on their faces was priceless.

"Alright," Quinn said with a sigh as the machine in front of him recovered back to it's knees. "Let's try this again, shall we?"

Taking another drag off his cigar, he beckoned with his hand, "Stand up, slowly."

Doing as instructed, the machine stood slowly onto it's limbs, still looking more than a little unsteady.

"You've felt that pain before haven't you?" Getting no response, Quinn slowly turned the device over in his hands, scoffing loudly. "'Felt', that's a laugh and a half. You things can't really feel anything, can you?"

Standing motionless, the machine tilted it's head in a predatory fashion. The appearance of shimmering liquid metal would ordinarily intimidate even the most battle hardened Resistance veterans. But Quinn seemed oddly unaffected by it, safe in the knowledge he had this metal monster under his control for now.

"You know, I don't like talking to you when you look like this. Why don't you go on ahead and change to what you normally look like." Taking a satisfying pull off his cigar, Quinn waved dismissively at the machine, waiting for it to do as instructed.

When it didn't, he idly twirled the small device around in his fingers, "No? You're sure?"

Shoulders slumping slightly, the machine's body shimmered momentarily. A moment later, it's outer shell reformed to its regular appearance…an eight year old blonde girl.

With a murderous glare in place, Amy stood rooted to the spot. Despite all her strength, her speed, her intelligence, the last thing she wanted to do was risk having to endure that pain again. It was way too familiar, something she never thought she'd have to feel again.

"There, that's much better, don't you agree?" Blowing out a mouthful of smoke with a satisfied smirk, Quinn waited patiently for the girl in front of him to speak, or at least to make another foolish attempt at disarming him.

After a few minutes standoff, him casually smoking while staring at her, Quinn got his wish when Amy finally spoke. "What do you want?"

"It speaks, fancy that." Chuckling more to himself than anything else, Quinn leaned forward, folding his arms and resting them across his knees, "Me? I don't want anything. But Mr. Vasquez is very much excited to have a specimen such as yourself available to him. All I'm being paid to do is keep you secure."

"Why?" Amy asked, still not moving, her mind working overtime trying to formulate a plan to get herself out of there…and maybe kill this man in the process.

"Hey, I'm just the hired help. I have no idea what he has planned for you." Something in Amy's expression told him she didn't believe him for a second. But, whatever, that wasn't why he was here.

"What's to stop me killing you and leaving?" A cursory glance around the room was all Amy needed to deduce that security was minimal in the room. Only the relatively thin walls and that device in his hand was keeping her from breaking out some old school Terminator violence and escaping.

"Oh, feel free…" At the questioning look he was on the receiving end of, he waved towards the nearest wall dismissively. "Go ahead, escape."

Not wasting any time, Amy strode towards the wall he'd pointed at. Not detecting any threats, she walked with a purpose, looking for the most obvious gap she could slip through. But before she'd gotten within a foot, she found her entire body hurtling through the air, only to land on the ground a moment later.

Laughing out loud, Quinn waved a hand at his security, all springing into action as soon as the machine moved. "Magnetised walls. You'll bounce off those things like a fucking pinball!"

Picking herself up with a glare, Amy swiftly moved towards the man. But again before she'd even gotten close, the same overwhelming pain came tearing through her body, sending her sprawling to the ground. Screeching in pain, eyes screwed tight shut, she writhed on the ground in agony, pain lighting up every sensor she had.

After what seemed like several minutes, but a check of her chronometer told her it was only a few seconds, the pain let up. Quinn nodded his approval to Aaron up on the rafters who held the small black device in his hand triumphantly. "Now you see, that was a bad idea. The signal these things generate should be pretty familiar to you."

Standing up, Quinn swung the chair back into it's rightful place, "I don't understand the specifics of how. Hell, I'm not sure I even want to know, but he tells me that it comes from the future, from your former employer apparently."

Amy finally managed to haul herself up onto her knees, her face twisting in confusion when she realised she knew where that signal had come from. "How?"

"I dunno," Chuckling a little at how absurd it was talking to this thing like it was a person, Quinn pressed on, wanting to get the hell out of there as soon as he could. "He said it was some tweaked version of a weapon, watered down a little to hurt, but not damage. He doesn't want his new pet to end up useless to him."

"That's real kind of him." Amy retorted as she stood, managing to muster a glare at the mercenary.

"Whatever." Motioning to the large room they were in, Quinn continued as he opened the metal door, "You can move around all you want while you're here, I'm not gonna stop you."

He nodded up at the rafters and his security, "But those men might if you do anything they don't like. But if you get out of control, I turn on the giant magnet under your feet, and you turn into a puddle of shiny goo again…got it?"

After a moment, Amy nodded slowly. She didn't like it, but for now, she couldn't see any way out of this situation.

"Good." Checking his watch, a grin slowly spread across his face, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have an appointment to get laid in about half an hour. Wouldn't want to keep the lady waiting. I'll be back to talk to you in the morning. You be a good little machine, you hear?"

With that, he was gone, leaving Amy alone in the small warehouse with only a few boxes, rafters and three security guards for company. Again taking stock of her situation, the vast intelligence she was capable of couldn't help her out of this one. There was no escape, not without risking herself in the process, or feeling that agonising pain again.

Sitting down cross legged where she was, face slumping into her hands, the one thought that kept running through her head was that she wished…beyond hope, that somehow somebody would find her. That somebody would rescue her…

She wanted Sarah…

* * *

**As you may have guessed, I'm done with Faith.**

**I'll be starting a new story soon to continue the tale, and it will have a different feel to it and focus on different things. I realise I've made mistakes with some aspects of this story, and hopefully I can correct some of them with the next instalment. I do still enjoy writing this story. I love the characters and I want to see their stories be told. I just want a fresh start to re-motivate myself.**

**I hope you've all enjoyed 'Faith'. I set out to entertain people and improve myself as a writer, hopefully my stories do that. Either way, I'm looking forward to part four...and finally tying in that damn Christmas special! ;)**


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